Element Gang: Battle Force 5, Book 1: Rise of the Battle Force 5
by Element Writer
Summary: What would happen if there was actually a team of heroes that were battling the Vandals and Sark before Battle Force 5 even came together? This will follow the story of the legendary superhero team: the Element Gang as they work with Battle Force 5 to protect the multiverse from evil.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_Hey, my name is Axel Frank. Yeah, I know. I might seem like your average guy with the average life, but I got my own little secret. I go by another name, one you know me as my alternate identity: El Dragon. Yes, _the_ El Dragon. Hero of Ronan and leader of the Element Gang. The members of my team are just like me, just regular people who live double lives. Let me introduce you to my team. There's Basar Blood, who you know as Apolloid, the loyal earth elemental brawn of the team; Meri Mock a.k.a. ShockBlaster, the electrified wild one; Trustin Kelsch also known as FrostFang, the agile ice elemental; my cousin Tricha Gray, better known as Torna the generous air elemental; and finally we have Jay Richey, the quick and sometimes annoying water elemental Posidacus. If you think this is shocking, it gets even crazier. To tell the truth, even I'm not sure how to describe it. We all met each other a few years ago, back when I use to fly solo. For how met the others, it was during my first year of middle school. I already knew Tricha as she was my cousin but met the rest in different situations. They ended up caught up in what I was doing by accident. During my lone wolf years, I spent my life chasing after storms. But these aren't your average storms, they're manifestations of rifts that open up into different parts of the multiverse. Yeah, you heard me, the multiverse. Turns out there was more than one world. And there were two reasons I was coming back through those storms. First reason was that I was looking for my parents. You see, during my 9__th__ birthday, the entire group of the Dark Gang actually attacked me and my family. Within that attack, a tornado appeared out of nowhere and was dragging everything in._

_In that moment, my parents sacrificed themselves to save me and my older sisters by taking themselves and the Dark Gang into the storm. None of them were ever found or seen from again. For most of my life, I've lived out as an orphan, me and my sisters living under the care of our grandparents, our father's parents. I don't know anything much about my mother's family. Though from that day, I also discovered something. Before that storm appeared, I got this sort of feeling, like something was calling to me. So I decided to figure it out what it was. After a while, I figure it out: somehow I could sense when a storm like the first one would actually appear. When I turned 10, I decided to use this ability to track the storms and head out into one to look for my parents. I did this in secret so my family wouldn't worry nor try to stop me. From this, I received a little gift from Dragonis Maximus, the watcher of all the Element Gangs that ever existed and most powerful elemental in the universe. The guy gave me a very special motorcycle that was built with an engine infused with a core of my own elemental power: the Fire Cycle. With going into the storm, I discovered that the very eye of it was where the portal to different parts of the multiverse would form. I was amazed by the very majesty of the new world I entered, but soon feared for the danger it possessed. The second reason I kept coming back was that I also found out that we weren't alone in this multiverse. Along with our own, there are two other worlds that belong to two different planetary groups who only live to destroy and conquer worlds: the Vandals, a race of mutant, anthropomorphic, tribal animals led by their warlord Captain Kalus, and the Sark, an army of deadly robots lead by their master Zemerik._

_From when I first met them, our war against each other began. Me protecting Earth from the threats of both the Vandals and the Sark. In those battles, I discover that the worlds I came to weren't ordinary ones like Earth or the ones that belonged to the Vandals and Sark. They were planet-like dimensions that were intersections between Earth and the worlds of the Vandals and Sark called Battle Zones. The reason for the name is that there were constant conflicts between the Vandals and Sark. All of them fought over possession of the Battle Key, a slate-like object used to open portals to the Battle Zones. The reason they fought over them was that the Battle Zone portals only opened to the beings of the worlds that they led to. It's like those entryways in the subways. You can only get through if you have the right identification. In simpler terms, it meant that only I could open the portals to Earth because I'm from there while the Vandals and Sark can't. The only way to get to other worlds freely is to get the Battle Key. The Battle Key can open the portals connected to the Battle Zones, including Earth. After my first victory in a Battle Zone, I ended up with that calling again after using the Battle Key to get home and figured out how to close the portals with the Key. Though my family was angry at me for making them worry, they soon changed their minds after they saw me use the Battle Key and a Surk, a soldier of the Sark, came through. After taking care of it, they decided to let me keep doing this but they had to keep all the Battle Keys I got until I was old enough to be responsible for them. After that, for 2 years straight, I kept traveling into the Battle Zones, fighting the Vandals and Sark and getting the Battle Keys before they did._

_Sounds like a lot of work for a kid, huh? It was tough, but I managed to get through it. Though things were a little tougher when I ended up getting some hitchhikers with me. After losing the chance to get them home, we all had a little talk to figure each other out. Found out that the five of them were the members of the Element Gang, the new generation I was supposed to lead. They also told me that they got their vehicles from Dragonis Maximus and they were equipped with weapons and designed with engines like my Fire Cycle. After getting all this, I allowed them to help me but only to find the Battle Key and not to fight. With our search, I managed to make a communication link with them all through my Fire Cycle and explained everything. Getting the Key was hard as it was on top of a pillar and I couldn't use my Fire Cycle to reach it. Luckily, we had Basar's Rockwheeler, which was equipped with wheels that could transform into claws that he used to climb the pillar like a gorilla up a tree. Though it wasn't long until we came across the Vandals. Even though I told them to stay back and let me handle them, the others disobeyed me and joined the fight. Together, we managed to keep the Vandals busy enough for Basar to get the Key. But when we tried to get back to Earth, Jay thought it would be cool if he could open the portal himself and ended up losing the Key to Kalus. I was so frustrated with Jay as he just gave the Vandals the last thing they needed to conquer Earth. Though they managed to calm me down and volunteered to help me beat them, I told them to go home and that I would handle it. I admired their courage and marksmanship in this battle, but I just couldn't let them join a battle where no one couldn't make it out alive._

_After they managed to find my home and got me to talk, I explained why I was working alone and that I didn't want anyone to get hurt under my watch. When the time came, I took my Fire Cycle and told them to stay back while I handled it. With the portal's opening, I was ready to face the Vandals. But what I got wasn't an army, but six villains I hoped I would never had to meet again: Tristone, Darkdra, Darktillian, DarkCla, DarkBlade, and their leader Dargon, who you know as the Dark Gang. As it turned out, the Dark Gang had aligned themselves with the Vandals to take over Earth. I tried to stop them, but they were too powerful for me, even with the advantage of my Fire Cycle's tech. I thought I was done for, but then…I got an unexpected surprise. Even though I told them I didn't want their help and they wouldn't have survived it, Basar and the others came all that way to help me in protecting Earth. With that, the six of us worked together and sent the Dark Gang packing back to Vandal. With this, we found out who they really were thanks to the Fire Cycle's onboard AI with an identity matcher. They were all kids like us, ones that disappeared years ago. Tristone's real name was Colt Taylor, the son of a gangster; DarkBlade was actually Berontha Delaurenti, Mari's cousin; Darktillian really was Soloman Stagg, a local bully in the streets; DarkCla was the alter ego was Kura Finley, a master juvenile cat burglar; Darkdra turned out to be Silvian Cheff, my own cousin; And Dargon's true identity was Kaze Shutzman, someone who actually had a real grudge against the Frank family. They swore revenge against us and that was the beginning of our battles with them and the Vandals. From that day, I decided that the job was too tough for me to handle alone. I needed a team._

_From there, I apologized for my behavior towards them and offered Basar and the others the job to work with me to protect the Earth. They accepted and they even promised they would help me find my parents. From that point on, we were worked together and fought as one. United, we would make our stand against all those who threatened this planet. We would defend the innocent. We would defend this entire multiverse. We would defend…our home. That's the story of how we became the Element Gang. Throughout the rest of our years, the six of us had to balance our daily lives with our hero business, especially in the Battle Zones. We also had to make sure to keep our hero work a secret from all those beyond our families and the circle of trust we had, especially the new friends we made along the way. We had some tough times and we had to reveal our secret twice when we accidentally brought people from the Battle Zones. The first time was in our high school years and it was with a transfer student, a British snob by the name of Stanford Isaac Rhodes IV. Pompous jerk that was so self-absorbed because he was royalty. But I later learned why he was like this. It turned out he was just that he didn't want to be treated like he was nothing. Back home, he was always teased by his older brother Simon and it was hard for him in his childhood. All he was trying to do was improve himself. That gave me something to relate with him. I was the only Fire Dragon left and had to live up the name like my father, who was able to fulfill his duty in protecting the world. In the end, Stanford actually managed to help us get the Battle Key. With that, we allowed him into our circle of trust and he promised to keep our secret._

_Later, we found out that old Stanford was thinking of becoming a DJ. Mari helped him there. Still don't know how she can do it, but that girl really knows how to deejay. The second time was actually with a person that we all had trouble dealing with. Her name was Agura Ibaden, an African princess and one heck of huntress. She can track just about anything just by analyzing the trails that were left behind, even from a vehicle. The reason she was in our school was because her parents that it would be good for her to interact with others as she usually went off alone back home and that Ronan High School was the best place to start. I accidentally bumped into her while going through the halls. Even though she was princess, she didn't act like one. Her personality was more like one of a tomboy. In school, people called her "The Warrior Princess." She impacted me the most for…well, I sort got a crush on her. She was fast, strong, agile, and kind. As I heard said from other guys, what a woman. Though I was the one who had to deal with her when we got to the Battle Zone. It was a long shot, but I managed to get her to work with me. As it turned out, we made a good team, especially in combat. It was all thanks to her we were even able to get the Battle Key from the Sark. Sophomore year was pretty crazy. One day we managed to find a guy named Specter who said he was a prisoner of the Vandals. We took him in and soon found out he was really a spy for the Vandals. When he tried to take the Battle Keys, we got him to reveal his true purpose for all this was so he could overthrow Kalus and Kaze and take over both Earth and Planet Vandal. Luckily, we managed to trick him into taking a fake Battle Key container and, with some help from Dragonis Maximus, revealed his true purpose to Kaze._

_It was only later that we found out that Specter went rogue with five members of the Dark Gang's Shadow Warriors who followed him. After a few months, they aligned themselves with the Sark. But, like always, we were still able to beat them. As we closed in towards our junior year, we ended up with a few new changes. What I mean by that is that me and the gang got all new power. The six of us went through a process called evolution, an event that occurs when one of us reached a new level of power. Before it, Trustin and Mari use to go by the hero names Icedra and ShockBlade. When Mari got to her first evolution, she then decided to go by the name ShockStaff, and she then became ShockBlaster as her final evolution. Trustin only changed his hero name to FrostFang when he got to his final evolution as his first didn't really look that different from his original form. Though we were all surprised when Basar and Tricha actually evolved at the same time, both first and final evolution. Jay's evolution had upgrades to his blaster, giving it more power and all new attacks. For his final evolution, he ended up getting water boomerangs for his blaster. With me, my first evolution was when Kaze and the Vandals kidnapped Agura and tricked me into a trap. My final evolution was when I went to keep on the fight when we got surrounded by both Vandals and Sark. With this one, I actually released a pulse wave so powerful that both the Vandals and Sark were sent on the retreat. Other changes were that there were all new relationships. Basar began dating my cousin, Mari somehow reeled Stanford, and I finally got Agura to be my girlfriend. It was a great time. But, when we got to our final days of high school, we all ended up having to deal with one last battle with the Vandals and Sark._

_We won it and still had enough time to go to our senior prom. After graduation, this was the time where we had to say goodbye to Stanford and Agura as they had to go back home and promised we would see each other again. For this, I gave them their own communicators so they could keep in touch with us and I gave Agura a special necklace for her to remember me by. After me and the gang graduated from college, we decided to go on the road in search of those storms. With this, we wouldn't be just battling for our home, but searching for where my parents are. Once we're done with the Vandals and Sark, we can be able to search the Battle Zones we've secured and look for them wherever the storm took them. Mom, Dad, wherever you are, we're gonna find you and bring you home safe._


	2. Chapter 1: Starting Line

**Chapter 1: Starting Line**

It's been a few years since we started traveling the world to search for storms. As we traveled and searching for storms, we all had our vehicles in camo mode, a special mod that allows our vehicles to appear as normal vehicles as they looked like they were from the future. Each of us had a different vehicle. Mari's Storm Glider was a black raptor jet, Tricha's Torn Jet was a white fastback, Basar's Rockwheeler was a cyan ATV, Trustin's Ice Bike was an apricot cruiser bike, and Jay's Wave Rider was a lemon yellow touring bike. As for my Fire Cycle, it was a black Suzuki GSX-R sport bike. Here's a little thing about the Torn Jet. Unlike the other vehicles we got, it haves the ability to transform into a car, a land mode that Dragonis put in for her. Right now, we were in the Salt Flats of Handler's Corner, a desert town in Arizona. After getting some breakfast at the local diner, we left to search for a storm. Though it looked like we weren't getting much luck finding one. Being out here in the heat was getting on everyone's nerves as the AC on Basar's Rockwheeler and Tricha's Torn Jet went out. Everybody was on edge, Jay the most. Yeah, it's been known in his family that water elementals are weak against intense sunlight, so it make sense that he would be bother by the heat the most out of the rest of us. He even went to the very back of the group to use the wind force created by my Fire Cycle and the other's vehicles like a fan for himself.

"Are you sure the storm's out here, Axel?" Jay asked me through the comm unit on his Wave Rider, no doubt unwilling to stay in the heat anymore.

"I know it's here, Jay." I said to him, using the comm on my Fire Cycle. "I can feel it."

"We've been out here for hours and haven't seen nothing but desert and this cloudless sky." He said. "Are you sure the heat hasn't fried your brain?"

"Jay, I am perfectly fine." I said to him. "I know that the storm's here."

"Well, I sure hope we find it soon." Tricha said, using her Torn Jet's comm and speaking with some worry in her voice. "This heat is really making a mess of my hair."

"Come on, guys." Mari said, using the comm on her Storm Glider as she flew over us. "The heat's not that bad."

"Easy for you to say, Mari." Jay said to her. "You're up there in your Storm Glider, getting a good breeze."

"Hey, Tricha," Trustin said to my cousin, using the comm on his Ice Bike, "your car can fly like Mari's jet, why don't you go up there and get that breeze with Mari?"

"Oh, I'd love to," Tricha said to him, "but my Torn Jet doesn't have a camo mode for its flight mode, so I would need to take it out of camo mode to fly up there."

"Does this have to do with the fact that you can't handle flying through a storm, Tricha?" Basar asked her, using the comm on his Rockwheeler.

"Yes." Tricha said to him. "Unfortunately, I still haven't grown accustomed to all the…spinning."

"Keep looking forward, babe." Basar said to him, knowing that she was getting sick from remembering the times she tried to fly through a storm. "Don't think about flying, okay?"

"Right." Tricha said to him. "Thank you, Basar."

"That's what I'm here for." He said to her.

"Man, this stinks!" Jay said, ranting on through the comm link. "How come Tricha and Mari get to fly while the rest of are stuck down here getting the heat? Literally!"

"What are you complaining about, Jay?" Basar said to him. "Your Wave Rider can drive on water while the rest of us can only take dirt roads."

"Yeah, but it doesn't have a roof over it like that stupid ATV of yours, Basar." Jay said to him.

"Hey, this is not just some ATV, this is my Rockwheeler!" Basar said, offended by what Jay said. "It's one of the best all-terrain vehicles there is, unlike that dumb tricycle of yours!"

"What? A tricycle?!" Jay said, offended by that. "My Wave Rider is more terrain than your Rockwheeler! It's all amphibious, down to the suspensions!"

"Suspensions?" Basar said. "You mean that rubber band you have holding your engine together?"

"Oh, why you!" Jay said where I knew those two were gonna start fighting soon.

"Enough! Both of you!" I said to them. "I know you're both annoyed with the heat, it's bothering all of us, but fighting with each other isn't gonna help us right now. You're teammates, not enemies."

"Axel's right." Trustin said to them. "None of us can really afford to make a slip-up, especially when it comes to the Sark and the Vandals. Our ancestors argued like that once and a whole city ended up being destroyed. Plus, all five of us promised Axel that we would help him find his parents when all of this over and it won't if you guys keep arguing with each other. So can you guys just settle down and save your fighting for later?"

After a moment, Basar and Jay sighed in defeat and said "Fine."

"Hey, thanks for breaking those two up, Trustin." I said, appreciative for him helping me back there. "Sometimes I forget that this honesty of yours really does help in a lot of ways. This is why we need a guy like you ʹcause you always…"

I stopped talking at that moment as I sensed the one thing we were waiting for: the storm. With our journey looking for these, we found out that my eyes glow blue for a moment whenever I sensed a storm coming. Still haven't figured out why that happens.

"Axel, what's wrong?" Trustin asked me as he noticed my pause.

"Guys, I got a lock on the storm!" I said to the guys as I then got ready to go even faster. "It's just a few miles ahead of us!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Basar said, happy that we found the storm. "Let's hit it!"

With that, we all kicked our vehicles into high gear and started heading towards the storm. Mari then flew down and flew behind all of us so the jet repulsion from her Storm Glider didn't blow us away. Yeah, Basar really likes our way of storm-riding. He always gets excited when we're about to do it. The reason for that is because of the Storm Friction. To explain, Storm Friction is an event that only happens in this kind of storm. You see, the storm itself is charge with high quantities of temporal energy, which is why the storm appears in a place with conditions like this. To explain what I just said, temporal energy is the very power of space and time, which is what is used in time-travel and traveling through different dimensions. This storm is special for, when a land vehicle goes into a storm, the temporal energy combined with molecules of the storm's wind structure creates a sort of magnet to the rubber only found on a tire and the contact with said material causes the molecules to condense into a solid material underneath it, allowing the two to create friction, hence the name. Though this is only within the storm, not outside of it. Simplified, the storm's inner funnel becomes like a road for any car that goes in it. Though there are certain conditions that have to be met for the event to occur. Found that out why my grandpa tried to ride the storm in a Benz Patent-Motorwagen. Yeah, it got spat out like in a regular storm. He's fine though. We Fire Dragons are tougher than we look, especially in senior age. Anyway, there are two factors of a vehicles structure that have to be accounted for this event.

The first of the factors is that the tires must have a solid body weigh them down like how a normal car body does to ensure the wheels don't fly off or that said vehicle will not go at an angle when on an uneven path, like a bumpy road. The other factor is that, if the body of the vehicle doesn't do so, then the tires must have their own center of gravity to keep themselves and the vehicle on the ground like the design of Basar's Rockwheeler. The structure of a motorcycle or motorbike must also follows these factors in order for the occurrence of the event. Word of advice, when you use someone else's bicycle for an experiment like that, make sure it doesn't belong to your older sister or someone who lives close by to you. If the vehicle doesn't follow any of these conditions, the event will not occur and will only result in the effect of your usual storm. In other words, if you don't have the right set of wheels, it'll just be just like you think when you drive into a tornado. The only vehicles that have these factors are the models that don't go pass the 1920s. The only other way without the factors is if the vehicle can fly like Mari's Storm Glider. Of course, Tricha can fly with her Torn Jet, but unfortunately maneuvering in the storm like that gives her motion sickness. Found that out when she first tried it. Girl ended up barfing the instant she got out of her jet. You see, the temporal energy within the storm gives off discharges when it moves around, the inner works becoming not that different to that of a large lightning storm. The temporal energy isn't as effective like the one you see in movies, but is as power as a lightning bolt that can interfere with a vehicle's travel. In other words, if you're not careful, then the storm will send straight back out.

While Tricha can't stomach it all, Mari, on the other hand, doesn't really have much of a problem. Yeah, out of the two of them, Mari is the only who can handle all that.

"Okay, guys! We're almost there!" I said to my team as we got closer to the storm. "Just a few more miles and the storm will be right front of us!"

"Uh…Axel?" Trustin asked with worry in his voice.

"Yeah, Trust?" I asked him.

"We got company." He answered.

I looked back to him and saw he was looking to the left of us. When I looked in that direction, I was surprised to see a red coupé car with three white stripes going down the middle of the body from the hood all the way down to the trunk. I had no doubt that the drive of that car saw Mari's Storm Glider and got curious about it. These are time I wish Mari's vehicle had a land camo like Tricha's.

"Oh, we can't deal with this today." I said as I then decided to go over to tell the driver of that car to stop before he accidentally followed us into the storm.

I drove up to the left side of the car and tapped on the window to tell the drive to roll it down so I could talk to them. When they did I saw the driver was a guy about my age with blonde hair wearing a white, short-sleeve t-shirt with red cuffs and collar and a big red star with a white silhouette of a flame in it on the chest.

"Hey, nice wheels!" the driver said to me with a smile. "Where'd you get them?"

"Dude, pull over!" I said to him.

"What? Why?" he asked me.

I managed to get a reason for him to stop when I saw what was in front of us. Anyone reasonable would stop and turn back around if they saw something like that.

"That's why!" I said as I pointed forward before I then drove back to my team.

With that, me and the gang then watched as the car then did a 360 stop a few miles away from the storm.

"Well, that takes care of that problem." I said before I then cracked the speed on my Fire Cycle. "Okay, guys! Follow me! Into the storm!"

With that, we all then cracked it up and drove straight into the storm. While Mari flew up the funnel through the center, the rest of us rode the sides of the funnel. Once we got underneath the storm, the wheels on our vehicles turned red, a sign that the Storm Friction was taking effect. Basar was definitely abuzz from that.

"Whoo! Got to love the Storm Friction!" he said as we all went up the storm.

"Okay, guys! Switch off camo mode and let's ride!" I said as me and the gang turned off the camo on our vehicles.

With this, our vehicles converted and changed color as they switched out of their camo forms. Mari's Storm Glider changed from black to white with yellow lineage, Tricha's Torn Jet changed from white to green, Basar's Rockwheeler changed from cyan to orange, Trustin's Ice Bike changed from apricot to violet and white, and Jay's Wave Rider changed from lemon yellow to blue. For my Fire Cycle, it went from black to red and gold and converted into its true dragon-style body with two green dragon eye style headlights that function as sensors and three gold dragon horns on the hood. With this, I removed the camo on my tail which I made with the metalbending ability on my own tail spikes and the chameleon ability they provided so I could blend in. A guy with a gold spiked, red dragon tail drags too much attention like Mari's jet. You think people would be able to notice the shadow, but, surprisingly, they don't. I did this for I would need it from when we would face either Vandals and/or Sark as no one else from Earth would see it and also because it felt more comfortable. I may not show it, but I really am uncomfortable with having my tail concealed like that. Feels more natural out of that camo. After all that, I then looked and saw the portal at the eye of the storm finally open, which meant only one thing.

"Guys, portal's open! Punch it!" I said as we all drove towards the portal.

* * *

After getting through the portal with Mari parking her Storm Glider in front of us, we all parked a yard away from the portal and looked around at the Battle Zone we were in. Looked like a fire-element Battle Zone with rock tracks over a pool of large pool of lava.

"A fire Battle Zone?" Jay said, surprised by this. "We just got out of the heat to get into more heat? Sometimes I think the multiverse hates."

"Well, it's not that bad." Basar said as he looked around. "Look at all this stone tracks. They'd perfect for racing."

"Hey, you're right." Trustin said where I knew those two would want to come back to have a little race.

Yeah, Trustin and Basar have this sort of rivalry to see who's the toughest guy around. They never pass down on any challenge that can prove it.

"Okay, enough sight-seeing." I said to the gang as I got ready to ride. "Let's just find the Battle Key and…huh?"

Before any of us could get moving, we heard something come through the portal and looked behind us and we all gasped in shock by what came through. It was that coupé car from before. We then watched as the guy got out of his car and looked around with confusion and shock while the rest of us looked with worry.

"Where in the world…" the guy said as he looked around at the Battle Zone scenery. "Uh…where in the universe am I?"

"Uh-oh." Trustin said, just as worried as the rest of us.

"Sir, calm down. Take a deep breath." I said to the driver as I got off my Fire Cycle and walked over to him. "I know this may seem crazy, but you got to listen to me."

"This can't be real." the guy said to himself as he laid on the side of his car. "You're dreaming this, Vert. Just dreaming." He rubbed his eyes and only looked to see he was still in the Battle Zone. "No, it's real."

"Sir, listen to me. We don't have much time. I need to…" I then looked and saw the portal was beginning to close. "Go now! The portal's closing!"

"What?! Oh, no!" the guy said as he then got up and then jumped towards the portal. "No, wait! No!"

But, by the time he got there, it was already too late. The portal close before he got through it.

"Oh, great. Just great." I said in exasperation as I faced my team. "Now we're stuck with this hotshot."

"Send me back!" the guys said to me as he grabbed me by the shirt. "I need to get back there!"

"I can't." I told him.

"What do you mean you can't?" the guy said.

"I really mean I can't." I said to him. "Once the portal closes, there's no way back. Even it did open up again, there's no guarantee if it'll lead back to Earth."

"You better send me back there or I'll…" the guys said as he tighten his grip on my shirt with a threatening glare before Basar got a hold of his wrist after getting out of his Rockwheeler.

"Let him go." Basar said as he and the others got over to us with glares of their own.

After a moment, the guy sighed in defeat and let me down.

"I'm sorry." The guys said with depression and shame. "I just want to go home.

"It's alright. I understand. Just glad you didn't push me to the ground like the last guy who did it." I said to him after dusting myself off. "Though I got to ask, why did you follow us? You're supposed to drive away from something like that, not into it."

"Well, I saw you guys go into that strange storm and thought it might be fun." The guy said with smile.

"Never think before you leap, huh?" I asked him.

"I consider myself as more of a risk taker." The guy said. "Okay, now to answer my questions. Who are you guys? Where did you get those vehicles? And where are we?"

"Guys, show him." I said to my friends.

They all looked at me for my approval and I did. With that, each of them showed their powers, surprising the guy. After seeing that, my tail, and looking at our vehicles, he finally pieced it all together.

"Wait…you guys…are the Element Gang?" the guy asked us.

"Yep." Trustin answered him.

"Whoa!" the guys said, amazed by this. "That explains those sweet rides."

"Yeah, they were a gift from a personal friend of ours." I said to him.

"That's cool." The guy said. "So where are we?"

"Oh, this place?" I said to him, motion to the Battle Zone. "This is a Battle Zone."

"Battle what?"

"A Battle Zone." I said to him as I explained things. "A planet-like dimension, one of many known throughout the multiverse."

"Multiverse?" the guy asked. "So we're in another dimension?"

"Well, yes. But the Battle Zones are more of an intersection between inhabited dimensions like Earth. These places are used for combat, hence the name 'Battle Zone.' That storm you just went through was the only way here. Sometimes gateways to the Battle Zones open up to the inhabited dimension of the multiverse. It might be an amazing sight, but the Battle Zones are also dangerous. See why I wanted you to stop?"

"Yeah, I see that. But, if they're so dangerous, why are you here?"

"Because the Battle Zones aren't the only danger around here. There are other threats out there that put the Earth in danger and it's up to us to stop them."

"How long have you been doing that?"

"Couple of years. Listen if you want to get back home, then you're gonna have to help us find the Battle Key."

"Battle Key?"

"It's an artifact that can open up portals to different parts of the multiverse. Every Battle Zone haves one. It's the only way to get that portal open. So you in?"

After a moment, the guy gave a smile and said "Well, if it means getting out of here, then I guess I have no choice. Plus, it's not every day you get to help the Element Gang save the universe."

"Great! By the way, my name is Axel. These are my friends: my cousin Tricha, her boyfriend Basar, Mari, Trustin, and Jay." I said to him with a smile.

"Vert. Vert Wheeler." The guy said to me as he offered me a handshake. "Nice meet you guys."

"Nice to meet you too, Vert." I said to him as I shook his hand.

"Help!" a voice called out as me and Vert broke the handshake and we all then went over to the side of the bridge and looked to see someone running.

As we watched and looked carefully, we saw it was a girl, only it wasn't one from Earth. She was some sort of blue, robot-like being, but without the armor and a more humanoid frame. She then tripped and dropped something on the ground. When we looked to where she was running from, we saw why she was running. Right there behind her stood three Vandals, three me and the gang already got to recognize. We all spoke quietly to make sure they didn't hear us.

"Vandals." Jay said as he glared at them.

"You know them?" Vert asked.

"Yeah." I said to him. "They call themselves the Vandals, a group of savage conquers. They're one of the threats I was talking about. We know these Vandals very well. That shark goes by the name Sever. His wit isn't as sharp as his teeth. The crocodile is Krocomodo, second-in-command of the Vandals. And the roach right down there is Hatch. He's some kind of voodoo witch doctor in the group. The Vandals might be primitive, but they are pretty dangerous"

"But what are they doing to that girl down there?" Trustin asked.

"And what kind of girl is that?" Basar asked.

"I don't know." I answered them. "I've never seen anything like her." I then looked at the ground as Krocomodo picked up the one thing we were looking for. "Though I do see why they were chasing her. Look!"

When the guys looked where I was pointed, they all saw that croc was holding the Battle Key.

"The Battle Key!" Trustin said as he and the others realized why the Vandals were chasing her.

"So that's it, huh?" Vert asked as he saw it.

"Yeah. That girl must've found it before they did." I said. "But I wonder why she wanted it for?"

"Get your claws off, Krocomodo!" Sever said as we looked back and watched as he took the Key from his superior.

I heard the girl gasp as Krocomodo took the Key back before Hatch took it from him. The three of them went silence when a roar came through, a roar I knew anywhere. We then looked as the owner of that roar came in on his chariot, the armored lion roaring out to end the squabble. He parked in front of the three Vandals and walked out of it to approach them.

"Kalus!" I said as I glared at that lion.

"You know that furball?" Vert asked.

"All too well." I said to him as Hatch gave the Key to Kalus. "That's Captain Kalus, the warlord of the Vandals."

"Give me back the Key, Kalus!" the girl said after she got back on her and glared at the Vandal warlord.

"The Battle Key belongs to me!" Kalus said to her as he roared.

"Hey, Vert." I said to our new companion. "Ever done a rescue before?"

With that, he got the idea and we all moved to get to our vehicles so we could go down there, get the Key, and save that girl before Kalus turned her into his next prize. I was able to hear what was being said as we all got ready to drive.

"I will not allow you to destroy any more worlds." The girl said.

"You are the last of your kind." Kalus said to her. "You can do nothing to stop me."

"She might not be able to stop you!" I yelled out as me and the others drove towards the Vandals. "But we can!"

"The sub-creatures!" Kalus said as he glared at us.

Our appearance made the perfect distraction as I then watched the girl jump forward and take the Key from Kalus.

"Basar, Vert, cover me!" I said as I then drove to get the girl.

"You got it!" Basar said as he and Vert drove forward. "Ready for a little drifting, Vert?"

"Oh, yeah!" Vert said.

With that, the two of them did a drift turn and kicked up some dirt right at the Vandals, making the perfect smokescreen for me to get the girl.

"Get on!" I said to her as I grabbed her and got her behind me on the Fire Cycle.

With that, we all then drove out to get some distance from the Vandals, who were undoubtedly chasing us. When we got some distance from them, we decided to split up to take on the Vandals separately and they fell for it like always. Basar and Tricha took one road, Trustin and Mari took another, and Jay was just left on his own this time while I stuck by Vert. We all kept the comm link on for this one. Vert just rolled down his windshield so he could listen in.

"We must flee to the portal that brought you all here." The girl said to me as we drove.

"We're working on it." I said to her. "But first things first, who are you and why were the Vandals chasing you?"

"I am Sage, a Sentient." The girl said to me. "The Vandals were after me because they wanted possession of the Battle Key and the knowledge that I hold."

"What knowledge is that?" I asked.

"I fear that they might use it to bring harm to others." She answered.

"Well, then hold on tight!" I told her as I cranked the speed on my Fire Cycle. "This is gonna get rough!"

I looked behind us and saw that Kalus was right on our tail. He shot arrows at us, but I managed to dodge them. Vert on the other hand got some stuck in the trunk.

"Hey, I just had this thing painted!" vert said to Kalus.

Before that lion could do anything else, I drove off and rammed into the side of his chariot.

"Leave my friend alone, Kalus!" I said to him as he looked at me.

"This has nothing to concern you, sub-creature." He said to me.

"It does concern me whenever I see your ugly mug." I said as I turned my right hand into a gold whip. "Try hurting him again or even lay a single paw on this Sentient here, you're gonna get a metal whip right to the fur patch!"

"You may have thwarted me before, little one," Kalus said to me, "but this time, the Vandals will be victorious!"

"Ha! Fat chance!" I said to him. "Me and the gang have been kicking your furry behind for years and not once have you gotten close to beating us! Besides, you're chances at even leaving a scratch on us has been left to none, seeing how you're Dark Gang bodyguards aren't around!"

"Oh, I think not. Kaze has added a little surprise just for you." Kalus said before he tossed some metal balls at my Fire Cycle. "Here. These were made just for you."

I was confused by this and even more when those balls somehow magnetized to my Fire Cycle. I then watched as part of the ball on the hood lifted up like some kind of visor and revealed a face. I realized it was a robot when it opened two big red eyes. I then watched in shock and horror as it opened its mouth, revealed a set of teeth made out of razor blades, took a chunk out of the hood, ate it, and started eating the rest. I looked around and saw it was the same as those robots began eating at the spots they were on.

"Aah!" I yelled as those things kept munching on the Fire Cycle's casing. "They're eating my Fire Cycle!"

With those little monsters eating my vehicle, I was having problems keeping it under control. I then tried to do my best to get them off before they bit into something important. While I did that, I managed to see Kalus shoot the large central spear on his chariot and impale the trunk of Vert's car. All the way, I could still hear what was being said.

"Now you're starting to make me mad!" Vert said before he floored on the gas and dragged that chariot so hard it launched Kalus out of it.

Seeing how his chariot no longer had a drive, I found a way to get rid of these metal pests.

"You want something to chew on?" I said as I grabbed the one in the front before I tossed it onto Kalus' chariot. "Well, bon appétit!"

I did it to the rest of them and drove up and cut the cable to the spear as me and Vert drove off, leaving the chariot as those bots' snack.

"So long, furball!" Vert said as the spear fell off the trunk.

"I've never seen Vandals in possession of such technology." Sage said, looking at the damage those bots did to my Fire Cycle.

"That's because it's not their tech." I said to her. "Looks like Kaze and the Dark Gang gave them an upgrade. Hope the others are okay."

I got the stories from the others from when they handled the rest of the Vandals. They didn't actually do so hot.

* * *

With Trustin and Mari, they were dealing with Hatch and he was trying to use the stinger on his car to impale Trustin.

"Uh, Mari?" Trustin said, using the comm to call for help. "Mind squashing this bug?"

"You got it, Trust." Mari said as she got the Storm Glider's weapons ready. "Say your prayers, roach boy!"

"Oh, I think not." Hatch said as he pushed a button on his car and the sting transformed into a cannon, shocking Mari. "Feel the sting of my Scarab!"

With that, the cannon fired. Mari tried to dodge it, but the cannon managed to his the left wing.

"Mayday! Mayday! I'm going down!" Mari said as her Storm Glider crashed into the ground.

"Mari!" Trustin said with worry before the back of his Ice Bike got impaled by the Scarab's stinger.

"I'd worry more about yourself than your friend, sub-creature." Hatch said before he lifted Trustin up and tossed him away with the stinger, laughing as he did.

Trustin was depressed that he got his bike trashed by that bug, but he managed to land close to where the Storm Glider crashed.

"Mari!" Trustin said as he then went over to get Mari out of the trashed jet.

When he got her out, she had soot on her face and was unconscious.

"Mari, are you okay?" Trustin said as he tried to wake her up. "Please wake up!"

After a moment, Mari finally opened her eyes, looked up at Trustin, and said "Trust?"

Trustin sighed in relief that she was okay and the two hugged.

"Oh, my Storm Glider!" Mari groaned as she saw her completely wrecked jet.

"Well it did better than my Ice Bike." Trustin said as he motioned to the trashed back of his bike. He then used his wrist communicator and said "Basar, we're stranded and our vehicles aren't gonna be rideable anytime soon. Mind giving me and Mari a tow?"

"In a minute, Trust." Basar said over the comm. "I'm having a bit of trouble myself."

"What's the problem?" Trustin asked.

"It's Krocomodo." Basar said. "Seems like Kaze gave his ride an upgrade."

"Him too?" Trustin said, surprised by that. "Hatch shot Mari down with some kind of cannon on his car's stinger. What's he exactly does he have that's giving you trouble? I thought Tricha was with you."

* * *

"I still am." Tricha said. "Unfortunately, that croc clipped my Torn Jet, so I needed a tow too."

"Yeah, Kaze went British sci-fi on this one and gave Krocomodo never-ending saw cannon." Basar said as he drove to lose Krocomodo, the Rockwheeler with a damaged body case dragging the Torn Jet on one of its back cables and Tricha riding in the passenger seat. "He already tore through the Rockwheeler's casing."

"We'll that's better than what I'm getting." Jay said over the comm. "Sever has some new grapplers and is trying to turn my Wave Rider into a snack!"

* * *

With Jay, the grapplers he was talking about had already punctured through the casing of his Wave Rider and were starting to pull his bike closer to the rotor blades in Sever's car, the Vandal laughing as it happened. What those didn't realize that their little fishing game led them to be on the same track as Basar, Tricha, and Krocomodo.

"Jay, look to your right." Basar said after he and Tricha saw Jay and Sever pulling up.

Jay looked and saw them before Basar said "I think Krocomodo can help cut you lose."

With that, Jay got what he was planning and decided to hit the throttle on his Wave Rider and started moving towards Basar and Tricha as Basar drove closer to them and getting some distance from Krocomodo.

"End of the line for you, sub-creatures!" Krocomodo said as he fired some saw blades at them.

Before the even landed on the Rockwheeler, Jay came in and, right at that moment, used those blades to not only cut himself free, but get one of those blades on Sever's car. Only one of them hit the Rockwheeler and it was just on the roof. Another effect of this was that it caused the two Vandals to crash into each other, giving my teammates a chance to escape.

"Later, alligator!" Basar said as he and Jay drove off and away from those Vandals.

"Thanks for helping me back there." Jay said before he looked at the damage done to the Wave Rider. "Though I'm definitely gonna have long time on repairs."

"Same here." Basar said as they drove. "Krocomodo took out both the Rockwheeler and Torn Jet's weapons. Not to mention that it can't keep going for very long."

"Yeah, I don't think my Wave Rider has much mileage left from what Sever did to it." Jay said.

"Well, we'll worry about that later. Right now, we need to help Trustin and Mari. Hatch just stranded them." Basar said as they drove off towards Trustin and Mari.

When I checked in on the others, I found out that Basar, Tricha, and Jay got over there, attached the Ice Bike and the Storm Glider to the Rockwheeler, and drove off to meet up with me and Vert with Trustin and Mari riding in the back. When they finally met up with us, me and Vert were experiencing some difficulties of our own.

"Oh, great!" I said as the Fire Cycle experienced some backfires. "Those bots damaged the hydraulics while they were pigging out on the Fire Cycle. It won't be able to get to the portal unless I get some repairs."

"Yeah, my ride's not doing so hot either." Vert said after his car started experiencing its own backfires and rolled down his window to talk to me before he spoke to Sage. "Do you know a good garage we can do some repairs at?"

With this, Sage presses some kind of switch on her forearm and we all watch as a large, white vehicle that looked like a rover-class tanker and a tank combined and then upgraded by the future. All of us were surprised and amazed by it. Can't say that I didn't want to cry. It's was just so amazing. It had six huge wheels, four in the back and two in the front, and missile launchers on the sides of where I believed to be helm of it. We watched as it opened a hatch at the front and we all got into it. Seeing the inside of was even more amazing.

"Whoa!" I said as we all got out of our vehicles and were amazed by the place. "I've been to tons of Battle Zones, but never once encountered anything like this."

"Yeah, this is one sweet ride." Basar said.

"Sage, where are we?" I asked the Sentient.

"A Mobius Command Center." She answered me. "It functions as a mobile repair station, a storehouse of knowledge, as well as a power source for me."

"Why don't we ride this beast out of here?" Vert asked her.

"It is damaged beyond repair." Sage said as she move to stand in front of our vehicles. "Let us hope it has enough energy to perform one last function."

We then watched as she floated about a few feet off the ground before platforms formed beneath us and raised us up to about her level.

"Whoa! Hey, hey!" Vert said as the platforms we were on began floating. "What are you doing?"

I looked over and watched as a few holographic screens appeared in front of Sage and she placed her hands at the sides of the center of her chest and seven small triangular items popped out of there. Two were red, one was orange, one was yellow, one was green, one was blue, and one was violet.

"Sage, what are those?" I asked her as those items floated in front of her.

"These are self-contained power cells that contain blueprints to upgrade our vehicles." She said to us. "These devices will analyze you and customize the capabilities of your vehicles to your personalities."

"Okay, you lost me after 'analyze'." Basar said to her.

"She's saying that those power cells are gonna scan our personalities and then imprint them to the upgrade on our vehicles." I said, simplifying what Sage had said.

"If it means a free paint job, knock yourself out." Vert said to Sage.

"A personality scan with a vehicle to match?" Tricha said, getting excited by this. "Now that is wonderful to hear. A car just as fabulous as me."

"It is more than that." Sage said as she held up six of the seven power cells. "These power cells have been customized to your specification. In other terms, your powers."

"Wait, are you saying those power cells are for us?" Trustin asked. "Why? And does how could someone know about our powers do that?"

"It is because you six are the Element Gang." Sage answered, surprising us. "As such, it is essential for you to have the power to combat against any threat that wish to do harm to the multiverse."

"Wait, you know who we are?" I asked her.

"Of course. Amongst my people, the Element Gang have always been known throughout the multiverse. The secret of their true identities known only to us." Sage said as she explained. "There are even legends of how some managed to protect us in our times of need. Your appearance here in the multiverse cannot be a coincidence. In return for you and your ally's assistance in rescuing me, I shall give you the ability to combat against the foes you will meet."

"Sounds good to me." I said to her. "Where do we start?"

"I'll began with the six of you." Sage said. "Unfortunately, all other systems will need to shut down. Including the cloaking device."

"Then let's cross our fingers and hope the upgrades get complete before the Vandals get here." I said as Sage began the upgrades.

"Along with these upgrades, each of you will be assigned a role based on knowledge of your powers and your own personalities." Sage said, taking the yellow power cell first before speaking to Mari. "Mari, you hold the power of lightning and have a way of finding the light in the darkest of times. You will be the Element Gang's artillery expert."

With that, we then watched as she placed the chip on a hexagon on the screen. We then watched as manufacturing machine arms came down from the ceiling and began working on the Storm Glider. Though we all ended up being confused when it changed the body to look more like a car than a jet.

"Uh…Sage?" I asked as those arms got ready to place wheels upon it. "What exactly is that cell doing to Mari's jet?"

"The blueprints within the power cell have been customized to her personality and shows the designs of giving it the ability to change from an aerial form to a land form vehicle." Sage said, surprising us all.

"Wait, it's giving Mari's vehicle a land mode?" I said, realizing that Mari was gonna be able to drive like the rest of us before I looked to Tricha. "Looks like you're not gonna be the only one with a mode change, cuz."

While the upgrades were being down we watched as some tubes appeared around Mari from the ceiling and began shining some light on her. We watched as the light began changing her clothes into what appeared to be race track uniform-like suit. Those beams even morphed her communicator into her suit. On the left side of her chest, over her heart, was the Element Gang symbol.

"Whoa!" Mari said, amazed by her new look.

"A high-impact, g-force resistant battle suit." Sage said, explaining what she was wearing.

Though we were amazed by this, what confused us was what was on the shoulder pad of that suit. It was this strange symbol that looked like a circle with a lightning bolt going through it.

"Hey, Sage." Mari asked the Sentient. "What's with this weird mark on my shoulder?"

"That is the symbol for lightning." Sage said to her. "It is in the language of my people."

"Cool." Mari said and we all looked to see that the upgrades were done.

We were all amazed by what her Storm Glider had become. It still had its colors, but was now in land mode in the form of a futuristic sports compact car. Mari squealed in excitement as she hopped over to her newly upgraded vehicle.

"To complete the upgrade, the bond with your machine, you must name the vehicle." Sage said to Mari.

"It's already got a name." Mari said before she struck a pose in front of her Storm Glider. "The Storm Glider."

"Tricha, with the power of air, always willing to sacrifice and give to help those in need, and great marksmanship skills, you will be the Element Gang's special operations officer." Sage said to my cousin as continued with the upgrades, taking the green power cell and placed it in the hexagon.

For each of these upgrades, we each got a battle suit similar to Mari's, each with an individual color and a different symbol on the shoulder. Tricha was now wearing a green battle suit with the symbol that looked similar to a wing which had to be Sentient for air.

She struck a pose beside her Torn Jet and said "The Torn Jet!"

"Jay, with the power of water and kind heart to help others that need it along with your quick thinking, you will be the Element Gang's striker." Sage said to Jay as she took the blue power cell and placed it in the hexagon.

Jay wore a blue battle suit with a water-drop like symbol which had to be Sentient for water.

"The Wave Rider!" Jay said as he stuck a pose beside his bike.

"Trustin, with the power of ice, strong faith in others, and incredible skill in stealth, you will be the Element Gang's scout." Sage said as she took the violet power cell and placed it in the hexagon.

"The Ice Bike!" Trustin said after he struck a pose beside his bike, the snowflake-like Sentient symbol for ice on his violet battle suit's shoulder.

"Basar, with the power of earth, your outstanding loyalty, and excellent combat skills, you will be the Element Gang's combatant." Sage said as she took the orange power cell and placed it in the hexagon.

Basar, with the shield-like Sentient symbol for earth on the shoulder of his battle suit, struck a fighter pose beside his vehicle and said "The Rockwheeler!"

"And you, Axel, with the power of fire, great knowledge in strategy, and displaying qualities of bravery and fearlessness, you will be the Element Gang's leader." Sage said as she placed the red power cell in the hexagon.

With the upgrades done, my Fire Cycle looking brand new and me with my new red battle suit and the flame-like Sentient symbol for fire on the shoulder along with my new high tech red specs, I stuck a pose with my arms crossed beside my vehicle and said "The Fire Cycle."

"And now for you." Sage said to Vert as she took the other red power cell and placed it in a pentagon on the holoscreen.

He got a red battle suit and specs like mine, but the suit had a V-shaped symbol on the shoulder and there wasn't an Element Gang symbol on the chest like the rest of ours, but a pentagon with the number five on it, which confused Vert. His confusion was put to a halt when the upgrade to his car was done. With this upgrade, his coupé car got turned into a red, thin body, large-wheeled supercar, the body looking like the blade of a sword. It also had 3 small wings on its sides and spikes on the side of the rear wheels.

"Ah! Cooler!" Vert said, gazing in amazing at his new car.

"So what are you gonna call it, Vert?" I asked him as he placed his hands on the hood.

"The Saber." He said, which made the perfect name for the vehicle.

We then heard an alarm and I asked "What is it?"

"Kalus and his Vandals are near." Sage said as she then came back down with the Key in her hand. "The Key will signal you when you get close to the portal."

She then placed it near my Fire Cycle and the Key somehow magnetized to the hood. That actually surprised us.

"What the…?" I said as I spoke to her. "How did you do that?"

"Your vehicles have been upgrade with magnetic cables that will allow you to seize and carry the Battle Keys along your vehicles." Sage said to us.

"Oh. That's handy." I said before I turned to the others. "Sage, can you be able to come with us? You'd be safer with us back on Earth."

"I can, but I need to travel in hibernation mode to conserve energy." Sage said as her body glowed in a bright blue light.

When the light faded I saw she transformed into a pentagonal cube and caught her.

"She's an energy form being." I said as we were all amazed by this. "Fascinating."

"Cool." Vert said. "Alien to go."

"Vert, take Sage. Keep her safe." I said to him as I gave Sage to him before speaking to the whole group. "Okay, guys. You know the drill. Head to the portal, get back to Earth, and close the portal before the Vandals have a chance to get through." We all then got on our vehicles and got ready to ride. "Element Gang, rev up and roll out!"

With that said, we all left the Mobius Command Center and headed off to get to the portal. After getting some distance, we heard a horn and looked to the left to see Kalus following us on a nearby track with Hatch right behind him. I saw that his chariot got chomped by those bots, but it wasn't so damaged that it lost any speed. He fired arrows at us, but we dodged them.

Kalus laughed a little before he said "Hatch, move in!"

With that, Hatch drove over and got on the track we were on and tailed us.

"Feel the sting of my Scarab!" Hatch said as he got that stinger ready to stab us.

Because we were still trying to figure out how the new upgrades worked, we weren't sure how we were gonna fight back. While that bug tried to stab us, I overheard an explosion, no doubt the Mobius Command Center. Sage had no doubt set it to self-destruct so the Vandals couldn't salvage its tech. At one point of Hatch's stabbing, Vert used a rock as a ramp and did a full on flip. The Saber's cockpit even switch to be underneath it. The girls jumped the rock too and switch their vehicles into flight mode. While Hatch stared at them, me and the guys looked forward and saw a rock wall up ahead and pulled back so we didn't ram into it. When Hatch finally looked, we all watch as he crashed into it.

"So long, roach boy." I said to Hatch as me and the guys drove off and rejoined Vert and the girls.

As we drove down the track, Kalus caught up to us and was soon right beside us.

"Do you think you can insult me and get away with it?" Kalus said to us. "This ends now!"

He then began driving into Vert, trying to push him into the lava. With all that, I couldn't really get passed them. I knew it was a long shot, but I tried to figure out how to use the upgrade on my Fire Cycle. I managed to find an analyzer on my specs and used them to scan the Fire Cycle. With this, I found out it could create an energy blade and decided to activate the weapon. With this, blue energy came from the horns on the Fire Cycle, formed a triangular formation at the tips and then spread to the front of the hood to form a curved, blue energy blade. With this, I saw how I could help. So I drove up and rammed Kalus from behind, pinning him as he turned around and growled at me. I then watched activated the weapon systems on the Saber and its front transformed into an array of powerful blades with buzz saws and a chainsaw. When I saw him drive towards Kalus, I pulled back and watched as Vert sent that overgrown cat spinning. I then decided to take my turn and rammed into the side of his chariot, pick him up, do a spin, and toss him away. Can't say I didn't enjoy that. I rejoined my team and took the lead as Vert switch off the weapon system on the Saber and I did the same.

"Okay, guys! Here we go!" I said as I then sent the Battle Key forward to where the portal was and opened it back up.

* * *

After getting through, I then went back and closed the portal before Kalus could get through. With closing portals, all you have to do is put your hand put towards the portal and the Key comes to you, closing it.

"We made it! Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!" Vert cheered as we all got out of our vehicles. "We did it! So long, Vandals!"

"That was awesome!" Basar said as we did a group huddle.

"We showed those guys!" Trustin said.

"It was a group effort. We took all of us to get the job done." I said to the team before speaking to Vert. "You did great out there, Vert. Not bad for your first try."

"Thanks. Glad I could help." Vert said to me.

"Hey, Axel," Jay said as we all looked to him. "How did you and Vert figure out those weapons on your vehicles?"

"Oh, I figured mine out thanks to these specs." I said, pointing to my specs. "Looks like these were adjusted to analyze anything they see and diagnose their functions. These things just showed me the upgrade to my Fire Cycle."

"Same here." Vert said as he spoke to the others. "Hey, maybe you guys got something like that in your rides too."

"Well, whatever they are, we'll find out what they are, together." I said to my team. "All seven of us."

"Seven?" Vert asked, confused by this.

"Yes, seven." I said to him. "We all saw how you were able to handle yourself out there. Not many people can say they faced the Vandals and survived or knock Kalus out of his chariot. You obviously show that you got the making of a true warrior. The Saber is proof of that. We need people like you out there in the field. As you saw, our enemies are getting stronger, so we need all the help we can get." I then offered him my hand for a shake. "What do you say? Want to help us save the multiverse?"

I took a moment of thinking, but Vert then said "Well, this beats having to drive through the salt flats and arguing with a cop." He then smiled and shook my hand. "Alright. I'll team up with you guys."

"Great." I said after we broke the shake and we all smiled at him. "Vert Wheeler, welcome to the Element Gang."

"Welcome Noogie Patrol!" Basar said as he got Vert in a headlock and began noogying him, Vert laughing as he did and me and the others joined him.

This moment was cut short when we saw Sage reform, groan in pain, and feel to her hands and knees on the ground, her body glitching. Basar broke the head as we all got worried for her.

"Sage!" I said as we all went over to her. "Sage, are you okay?"

"Each time I go through a Stormshock, it weakens me, erases part of my memory." Sage said to us. "I have traveled far. Perhaps too far. I…must…hibernate."

With that, she then transformed back into that cube and I caught her.

"She's got to teach me that trick." Vert said with a look of curiosity.

"Vert!" I said, glaring at him. "Didn't you hear her? The portal weakened her. Which means she took a risk at her own life to travel to Earth with us. We need to get her somewhere safe until she's back to full strength. Know anywhere we can go?"

"There's the parking garage I own around here." Vert said to me. "Hardly anyone goes there."

"Then that's where will head for." I said to him. "Hope you don't mind us crashing there for a while."

"Don't worry, I have plenty of space." Vert said. "We are a team now, so spend as much time as you like."

"Thanks, Vert." I said to him before speaking to the rest of our team. "Element Gang, roll out!"

With that, we all got back to our vehicles and followed Vert to the garage. As we drove, I thought about what Sage had said about what the Stormshock did to her. That she loses a part of her memory whenever she goes through. I wonder how much memory she lost traveling through the Battle Zones. It had to been a while of traveling if she knew Kalus.

* * *

After getting settled in the garage, we all began our training to master our vehicles. Luckily there was a race track for us to practice on. Me and Vert found out that the Saber and the Fire Cycle had swords onboard, Mari found out her Storm Glider had all new electro-cannons for both the flight mode and land mode with the cannons coming out of the hood of the land mode form, Tricha's Torn Jet had a new sonic air cannon, Basar's Rockwheeler climber mode had new spiked claws and saw blades for the wheels, Trustin's Ice Bike had a new hover mode that he can use to freeze the ground beneath it, turning it into an icy surface, and Jay got an all new hydro-cannon on his Wave Rider that packs a punch. Left a dent in the garage wall when he accidently fired on it.

It had been weeks since Vert joined the team and we all mastered our vehicles and, within those weeks, Sage had recovered and had been working on something in the garage. When we got there, we had a power surge and the lights went off.

"Sage?" I said as we all looked to where the Sentient was. "Sage!"

"I am in the lower level." Sage said, which confused us.

"Um, we don't have a lower level." Vert said.

"You do now." Sage said and we all looked and saw an elevator.

We took it and were amazed by what we saw. It turned out that Sage had built us a whole new base underneath the garage.

"So this is what you were working on. A new underground base." I said to Sage as we walked over to her and the center of the base's main floor. "How did you make all of this?"

"With Sentient face nanotech." Sage said as a new structure formed right behind her.

"Amazing." I said.

"Creating this was simple compared to creating the multiverse." Sage said, surprising the seven of us.

"Your people created the multiverse and all the Battle Zones?" I asked her.

"Yes." Sage said as she then brought of a new screen showing different images. "But everything we have created is under attack."

"Let me guess: by the Sark and Vandals." I said, me and the gang already knowing what she was talking about.

"Yes." Sage said as she continued. "The Sark and Vandals destroyed my home world, each taking one of the twin planets."

"I'm sorry that happened to you." I said to her, feeling sorry that she had to lose her home like that.

"It does sadden me, but I'm glad to have met you all." She said to me.

"We're glad we met you too, Sage. I'll take things from here. Me and the gang already have experience dealing with the Vandals and Sark." I said as I began explaining the situation to Vert as he was still knew to this, the screen behind me showing the images of the Vandals and the Sark. "The Vandals and Sark are two major groups of conquerors in the multiverse, each settling in a world they control. The Vandals are a tribal dictatorship led by Kalus and the Sark are cold, calculating, and deadly robots led by their master Zemerik. For as long as we've known them, the Sark and Vandals have always been at war with each other, taking control of other worlds and making them their personal territory, leaving only destruction in their wake. It's only a matter of time before their war spreads to Earth." After detailing that, the screen faded away as I continued to speak. "That's where we come in. As this world's protectors, it's up to us to fight against the Sark and Vandals and end the war once and for all. Which means we're all in this together. We'll do anything to ensure the safety of our home, no matter the consequences. You understand the responsibility you're taking, Vert? Once you take it, there's no turning back."

"Yeah, I got it." Vert said to me. "Don't worry. Those guys aren't getting anywhere near Earth on my watch."

"Good." I said before I turned to Sage. "Sage, I know I can't do anything to change the past, but I promise you I'll get you your home back."

"I am grateful to you, Axel." Sage said to me before speaking to all seven of us. "You're all formidable warriors, but you all need help in order to succeed. Which is why I have contacted the rest of your team."

"The rest of our team?" I said to her as we were all shocked by this. "You're bringing civilians into this? What for? There's already seven of us."

"I understand your concern, but this is the only way for you to face the Vandals and Sark." She said as she explained. "The legends told of the Element Gang before you fighting for my people along with five other warriors who fought alongside them. The individuals I have contacted will be part of a separate team that will work alongside you as you travel to the Battle Zones."

"A group of allies helping the Element Gang." I said before I realized it. "You're creating a faction of allies to help us, like in those legends."

"That is correct." She said.

"Is Vert one of them?" I asked her.

"Oh, whoa! Hold on!" Vert said to me. "What makes you think I'm a part of this team of sidekicks?"

"It's a faction of allies, Vert. we're all equals here in the Element Gang." I said to him. "There were only six power cells customized to me and the others. Yours is the one that wasn't. Plus your suit haves different markings than ours. It obvious your part of the faction."

"If I wasn't part of this team, I would've said I worked alone." Vert said, not liking the idea of being part of the faction.

"Vert, the fist is made up of five fingers." Sage said to him. "Just as the Saber is one of the five forces required to assist you and the Element Gang save your world."

"She's right, Vert." I said to him. "We need all the help we can get if we're ever gonna beat the Sark and Vandals. And I'm not just agreeing because it's a way to follow my ancestors' footsteps. We don't know what kind of advances our foes have gotten, so we need to be prepared for those."

Speaking of which, what exactly was with those Vandals?" Vert said to me. "I thought you told me those guys were too stupid to make something like that."

"They might, but Kaze isn't." I said as I began to explain.

"Who's Kaze?" Vert asked.

"Kaze Shutzman, one of our greatest foes from our past. You might also know him by another name: Dargon." I told him.

"Wait, Dargon?" Vert asked. "As in leader of the Dark Gang? What's he doing working with the Vandals?"

"It's a long story." I said as I began to explain what the connection to Kaze and the Vandals was. "Years ago, a Stormshock appeared and sucked the six of them into it. We believe that whatever Battle Zone they were in, they ended up encountering the Vandals. The two made an alliance and began working together to conquer the multiverse, becoming a bigger threat than the Sark. When he tried to get to Earth, he managed to gather those that remained of the Shadow Warrior armies of the past, the descendants of those warriors who were loyal to the Dark Gang. Though we managed to defeat them, it didn't stop them or the Vandals from trying to get back. They sent in a man named Specter who was born with a rare fire elemental power and someone who tricked me into get him the Battle Keys we collected. Luckily, we were able to trick him into taking a fake that reveal his intentions of taking all the Battle Keys and taking control of the multiverse by himself. That led him to become rogue with five other followers, those who abandoned the Dark Gang to follow Specter. Within this, it wasn't long until Specter aligned himself with Zemerik, him and his followers becoming the new members of the Sark. Even though this even the scale between them and the Vandals, it still creates a problem for us. Because these guys are from Earth, both the Vandals and Sark can adapt and develop new strategies. After our last encounter with the Vandals, it's obvious we need help in order to beat them. This will only be until after we save the Earth. Can you just try and get along with them until then?"

"Fine." Vert said in defeat.

"Good." I said to him. "Come on, we haven't even met them yet. How ad could they be?"

"Hey, Sage." Trustin said to the Sentient. "You practically know everything about the multiverse, right? Mind telling us how Axel is able to sense Stormshocks?"

"For the time being, no." Sage said to him. "While it is quite the extraordinary phenomena, I'm sorry to say that not even I have come to answer for his sensitivity to Stormshocks."

At that moment, me and Sage sensed a Stormshock and our eyes glowed blue at the same time.

"I sense a Stormshock opening." Sage said after our eyes stormed glowing.

"I sensed it too." I said to her. "We're on it. Vert, Basar, Trustin, and I will head to the Battle Zone. The rest of you stay here and meet up with our new recruits. Guys, let's rev up and roll out!"

With that, me, Basar, Vert, and Trustin got our battle suits on and then drove off to catch the Stormshock.

"Remember, once you enter the Battle Zone, you must secure the Battle Key, return to Earth, and lock the portal behind you." Sage told us over the comm.

"Got it, Sage." I said as we then drove out into the salt flats and head straight for the Stormshock.

* * *

When we got through the portal, we saw that we were in some kind ruin city-based Battle Zone with two moons in the sky. After getting through, we looked as another portal opened up and some Sark came through. They didn't notice us and just drove off.

"It's the Sark." I said as we watched them drive off.

"Oh, man. Wait till they get a taste of my Rockwheeler's upgrade." Basar said, excited to fight those tin cans.

"Let the battle begin!" Vert said as we all then drove off to fight the Sark.

There were five them. I could tell by the cars that these were Zurk, just simple drones that work for Zemerik.

"Okay, Vert." I said to our rookie, using the comm. "Looks like you got an easy day for your first Sark battle. Those guys up ahead are Zurk, mindless drones who's own purpose is to follow Zemerik's orders. So they aren't known for figuring things out. Think you can handle them?"

"Just watch a master at work." Vert said as he drove towards two of them.

He got in between them and the Zurk saw him and tried a pinch maneuver on him. While he did that, me and the guys took on the rest. Basar toyed with the Zurk he got, making it try to knock him away, before he used the Rockwheeler's claws to grab it and smash it. Trustin did the same and actually tricked it into getting under the Ice Bike while it was in hover mode, freezing the bot and causing it to crash into a support beam of one of the bridges above us. With me, I just did a simple hook from the back with the energy blade and sent that Zurk flying off the road with a 360 toss. With Vert, we all managed to see him use the Saber's blades to cut and wreck one of the Zurk he was dealing with. With the way it looked, I'd say he pulled back to get out of the pinch, got the Saber's blades out, and rammed right into the Zurk. After that, he pushed the Zurk to where it hit a large rock and started flipping around until it hit the support of a nearby bridge. With that, we all regrouped and put our weapons away.

"Not bad." I said to Vert.

"Was there any doubt?" Vert said, undoubtedly smugly before speaking in amazement about the Saber. "Man, I love how this baby shreds!"

"Yeah, that shreds through Sark like there's no tomorrow." Trustin said, just as amazed as Vert.

"We can complement Vert's ride later." I said to the guys over the comm. "Let's just find that Key before the Sark do."

"Battle Key, 12'o'clock!" Basar said after we made a turn and saw the Battle Key right in front of us.

"Want to do the honors, Vert?" I said as I moved over to let Vert take the lead.

"Do mind if I do." Vert said as he drove ahead of me and then got the Key. "Got it!"

"Great!" I said as we all gathered around Vert. "Now let's shut this Battle Zone down and head home."

With that, the four of us then began to head back to the Earth portal. Though we weren't even able to get halfway there until we saw a Zurk blockade right ahead.

"Oh, great!" I said as we all stopped before those Zurk saw us. "That's too many Zurk for us to fight. Better lay low and wait until they leave."

With that we all went off to hide in some of the wreckage of an old bridge. After we did that, we all looked and saw a familiar steel blue, red-eyed mug rip the head of a wrecked Zurk and began examining it. The Zurk he was examining was no doubt one of the Zurk me and the guys wrecked just now.

"Zemerik." I said as we all glared at the Sark leader.

"And looks like he brought Zug with him." Basar said as we all saw he was right as that muscle head bot walked up to his master.

"Zug?" Vert asked as we remembered he was still new to this.

"Second-in-command of the Sark and Zemerik's personal bodyguard." I said as I explained things to our rookie. "Not the brightest tool in the shed, but that wit of his is matched only by his loyalty to Zemerik."

"Think we can take him?" Vert asked me.

"Probably." I answered him. "Our chances are high as long as he didn't come with…"

"Uh, guys?" Trustin said as we all looked him, him pointing nervously towards Zemerik and Zug.

We all looked and saw the only people I knew were gonna decrease our chances of getting pass the Sark as I saw the leader of those six with a blue flaming head and all. With these six, they were all given Sark armor that were designed for their specific roles based off their skills.

"Specter!" I said with a little worry.

"And the rest of Terror-kinetics!" Basar said, just as worried as we were.

"So that's Specter, huh?" Vert said to me as he looked at Specter. "Thought you said he was from Earth."

"He is. All six of them are." I said to him. "But when they aligned themselves with Zemerik, he mechanized them with Sark upgrades that make them a match for the entire Element Gang."

"You beat them before, right?" Vert asked.

"Yeah, but it takes the whole team just to beat them. Each one had been given upgrades designed to counter each of us." I said.

"Yeah, separately they're strong, but put them all together and they can take down just one of us for good." Basar said. "It would've been easier if it was just Zemerik and Zug or just the Terror-kinetics. But all of them together along with all the Zurk will be too much for us."

"Now chances of us making out of here with the Key is now down to 50/50." I said.

"Still better than none, right?" Vert asked.

With our position, we were able to hear what was being said over there.

"The damage to these Zurk are still fresh." Arachna said after she examined the Zurk wreckage. "The cause of it has left the Battle Zone yet. Judging by the damage, I say the Element Gang have already arrived."

"Which means they might have the Battle Key." Specter said before he spoke to Zemerik. "Don't worry, master. My Terror-kinetics and I will retrieve the Battle Key."

"Wait, something is different." Arachna said as she examined some damage casing of a Sark vehicle. "Three of them have damage similar to the effect of an Element Gang attack, but this one has received damage from…an unknown assailant."

With that, we were all shocked as she found out that we had Vert along with us. I really hate those perceptive eyes of hers.

"Can you tell how many there were?" Specter asked her.

"The ice dictates that the ice elemental was here." Arachna said as she motioned to the fragments of ice on the ground, before she began examining the road. "And the tracks indicate only four vehicles. I have identified three drivers as the fire, earth, and ice elementals. The fourth set belongs to vehicle of unknown origin."

"Only three of them?" Specter said. "It would appear that the Element Gang have found themselves to join their cause."

"Those vile organics…" Zemerik growled as his minions look to him. "No matter. They shall be dealt with soon enough."

"What are my orders, my lord?" Zug asked his master.

"I want you and the Terror-kinetics to find the organics, neutralize them, and bring me the Battle Key." Zemerik said to Zug.

"Yes, Lord Zemerik." Zug said as he bowed in compliance.

"Is that understood, Specter?" Zemerik said to the Terror-kinetic leader.

"It shall be done, my lord." Specter said as he did the same.

"Maybe Sage was right." Vert said as he got worried too. "Some more help would've been good right about now.

"Hope the others are doing better than we are with the recruits." I said, wondering how the rest of our team was doing.

* * *

**[Earth]**

**Jay's view**

Back here on Earth, me and the girls sat there at the coordinates Sage gave us, waiting for the recruits to get here. We were wearing our regular clothes so we didn't drag attention to ourselves. While I was just lying about on my Wave Rider, the girls decided to pass the time by painting their nails, both finger and toes. We had been waiting out there for hours and haven't seen a single bit of them. Sage said she had made some calls to give them rides, but we haven't even seen them. Right there, I would rather be stuck in a dog pile of Zurk than waiting out here in the sun.

"Oh, come on!" I yelled out with no patience left in my body, scaring the girls. "We've been waiting out here for hours and haven't seen a single car. Where are those rookies?"

"Geez, calm down, Jay." Mari said to me. "Sage didn't when they would get here."

"I still don't understand why she told them to meet us here." I said to her. "Couldn't we have waited for them back at the garage?"

"Jay, you know that Sage is just taking precaution for all our safety." Tricha said to me. "Having them meet us at that garage would drag too much attention to us, especially when it is the location of our base. Just try and wait a little longer."

After seeing there was no point in fighting that woman as I knew I wouldn't win against Axel's cousin, I sighed and said "Fine."

But, just after 3 minutes, we all heard some engines revving and looked to see three black limos drive over and pull over to us.

"Oh, finally!" I said as the rookies finally got here.

We watched as the first door opened, but we were shocked to see who stepped out in a green jacket with a red shirt underneath, a tribal necklace, black pants, and that stupid necklace Axel gave her before she left. I thought working with Axel was bad enough, now I find out his African girlfriend is joining us. She was confused by this. I bet all of these guys were. Sage did tell them all lies just to get them to come here. Though when she looked at us, she actually smiled. While the girls were excited to see her, I, on the other, was just down right disappointed for this. We all looked and saw the next rookie step out, this time an unfamiliar face. He looked like a Chinese guy with black hair wearing a red bandana and a yellow short-sleeve shirt with some weird star symbol on the left sleeve and a regular red shirt. The two began walking over to us as the last limo unloaded. This one actually had both of the last recruits in it. One was big, strong guy with combed black hair and the other was this string bean guy with spikey black hair. The big guy was wearing a short-sleeve white shirt with this blue fan-like symbol on the left sleeve and the other was wearing this blue button-up shirt.

"This is not a video game convention." The string bean said as he got a look around.

"No, it isn't." I said to him after I straightened up and walked over to speak to the limo driver. "Thank you, boys. We'll take it from here."

With that, we all watched as the limos closed their doors and then drove off for us to take care of things with the recruits.

"Uh, no, no! Wait! Come back!" the string bean said as he tried to get the limo drivers to turn around. "You dropped us off in—ah-hoh!"

"Sorry, those guys aren't coming back." I said to him. "They had one job: dropping you off here."

"Agura!" Tricha and Mari said as they hugged Agura and she hugged them.

"Though I wish one of them would take her back." I said, pointing to Agura with my thumb and not wanting her to be here.

"It's good to see you too, Jay." Agura said to me with sarcasm.

"Wait, you two know each other?" The string bean asked me.

"Yeah. We're classmates in high school while she was dating a certain friend of ours." I said.

"It's been ages since we've seen you, darling." Tricha said to Agura as the three of them broke the hug.

"Yeah, how you've been?" Mari asked her.

"I've been great." Agura said to them. "Though I'm kinda confused right now."

"I'm confused by this too." I said to her.

"I'm not gonna get Wi-Fi out here." The big guy said.

"Hey, big guy!" I said as I walked over to him. "What's up with you sharing a limo with the string bean there?"

"Hey!" the string bean said as he heard what I said.

"Oh, that's my older brother Spinner." The big guy said, shocking me.

"Wait, you're the little brother?" I asked, still surprised that this guy was younger than the string bean ʹcause it looked like it was the other way around.

"Well, we're actually fraternal twin brothers and he was born first." He answered me.

"Oh." I said, getting the jest of this.

"I was going with him to see the video game convention we were told about." The big guy said. "I'm Sherman by the way."

"Name's Jay. Nice to meet ya." I said, not really caring about this and getting the jest of it before I looked to Agura. "I know what brought the twins here, but what got you here, Agura?"

"I was told there was an off-road race." She answered me.

"Should've known." I said before I spoke to the Chinese guy. "And you?"

"Um…the world's mixed-martial arts championship." The guy said to me before doing some kung fu moves and doing that freeze chop at the face thing at Spinner.

"Sorry, guys." I said to our four rookies. "But this isn't a kung fu tournament, an off-road race, or a gaming convention."

"Is this a scam?" Spinner asked.

"Let me guess: need some help again like last time?" Agura asked me.

"Yes, and that was one time and you know it, Ibaden!" I said to her. "Never mind. We got all four, so now we just…huh?"

We all looked and saw that there was another limo driving in and moving pretty fast.

"Oh, what now?" I said as it seemed like I was getting much of a break today.

We then watched as the limo did a hard turn and launched its rider right out of it along with a sliver and purple boom box. With that, the limo just drove off in an instant.

"Ow!" I said as that boom box hit me in the face and sent me to the ground. "Seriously?"

"Oy! Now that's just plain rude!" the passenger said in an accent I actually knew.

"Wait! I know that accent anywhere!" I said as I got up and looked to see a redhead with a mohawk I haven't seen in a while wearing a black jacket with a purple shirt underneath. "Stan…"

"Stanfy!" Mari said as she ran over to her.

"Mari!" Stanford said as he caught her in a hug, the girl nuzzling him joyfully. "I guess it is a party with you around."

"Oh, Stanfy, I missed you sooooo much!" Mari said as she continued to nuzzle him.

"Didn't think I'd see you here, Stanford." Agura said as Stanford looked up and saw her and me.

"Agura? Jay?" Stanford said as he saw us and then saw Tricha. "Tricha? What are you all doing here?"

"Same reason for all them to be here." Tricha said as she motioned to the twins and the kung fu guy. "But what exactly got you to come here?"

"Well, like I told you lot, I've become a DJ and I was told I was needed for a party." Stanford said. "Though I must say this is the strangest place to have a party."

"Well, that explains why this thing hit me in the face." I said as I held up the boom box.

"Oh, sorry about that." Stanford said as he took it.

"No problem." I said before I realized it. "Wait a minute." I then did a head count of all who showed up. These guys make five and, with Vert, that made a total of six. "That's six. Why are there six? I thought there supposed to five of them."

"Jay, what are you talking about?" Agura asked me.

"That I can't explain." I said to her. "We're gonna have to wait for when Axel and the others to get back."

"Axel? Where is he?" Agura asked, wondering where her boyfriend was.

"Your boyfriend's at work." I said to her. "He told me and the girls to stay and wait for you guys. Now that we're all here, we just have to wait for him and the guys to get back here. He'll tell you the whole story."

"Well, while we're waiting…" Stanford said as he put down his boom box and turned it on, playing what I had to guess was a mix he prepared for the party. "Let's get our own little party going, shall we?"

With that, I then watched as he and Mari began dancing while the rest of us just watched them.

* * *

**[In the Battle Zone]**

Back with us, we were still in hiding, trying to figure out a way to avoid being detected by the Sark.

"Some backup would be nice right now." Vert said. "Someone to do a little recon, someone with ranged attacks, someone with a little muscle."

"Yeah, a little more muscle would be good right now." Basar said. "I hate to say this, but, even with my strength and the Rockwheeler there's no way I can get take on Zug and Vetto by myself."

"Same here." Trustin said. "I can handle Mars pretty easy, but I'll never be able to make it with Fana and Arachna firing at me."

"Would you guys be quiet?" I said as I began using my specs to see if I could find a way out of this situation. "They'll hear us. I know that we're outmatched here, but we can't call any backup right now. We're gonna have to improvise and try to avoid them this time."

It was going great until Arachna said "Lord Zemerik, I'm detecting something."

"Can you identify it?" Zemerik asked her.

We all looked and saw they were looking straight at us.

"Four organics: three identified as the fire, earth, and ice Element Gang elementals, one unknown." Arachna said as she was no doubt analyzing us right before she yelled out "They have the Key!"

With that, all the Sark turned and looked directly at us.

"Uh-oh!" Trustin said.

"So much for avoiding them." Basar said.

"Vert, remember when I saw this was 50/50?" I said to our rookie. "Well, now those chances of getting out of here are looking very slim."

"Stop the organics!" Zemerik said.

With that, two Zurk came at us, but, when those two got close enough, Vert put out the Saber's blades and sent them flying.

"Element Gang, rev up and roll out!" I said as the four then drove off and starting to the portal.

We managed to get to the bridge where the portal was as Vert put the blades away, but he ended up getting Zug on the hood.

"Zug will smash it!" Zug said as he got ready to smash through the canopy until Vert opened it up and caused the windshield to push Zug clear off a windshield wiper to a bug. That drill head ended up rolling all the way back down.

"See ya later, bolt brains!" I said to Zug as we kept on driving.

Though we made it to the portal, but some Zurk decided to hit a ride on the Saber. So we ended up dragging them with us.

* * *

**[Earth]**

**Jay's view**

With us, we were still waiting for Axel and the guys to get back and Stanford and Mari tried to get the rest of us to dance. We were waiting for so long that it was already night. Stanford got out some light sticks and he and Mari went dancing with them to "keep the party going."

It wasn't long until we saw a portal open and Axel and the guys came through. We all moved out of the way as they drove by and we saw they also brought some extra company that Vert tossed off. The four came right at us and then…

* * *

**Axel:** Okay, Jay. That's enough.

I can take it from here.

**Jay:** Oh, come on, Axel.

**Axel:** Nope, I know you're just gonna make it look like you did all the work.

I'm going to say what really happened.

Now sit back and let me tell this.

**Jay:** (Annoyed) Fine.

**Axel:** (Clears throat) Ah-heh.

Okay, so anyway…

* * *

**Axel's view**

After getting through the portal and stopping about a yard away from the group with Vert knocking those Zurk off the Saber, we got out of our vehicles and ran over to group as those bots chased us.

"Hey, who wants to help us destroy a pack of killer robots?" I said as we ran over to the group. "Show of hands?"

With that, me, Basar, and Trustin got busy dealing with the Zurk that went after us with Jay and the girls joining in. While that happened, Vert got tackled by one of the Zurk. We would've help but had our hands tied with these Zurk. After trying to melt the one I was facing, I found out that this one was made with Vengestone-embedded armor. Vengestone was the only thing that was stronger than me and the gang's elemental powers. We all found out the ones we were facing all had it. Guess Specter and Zemerik managed to find some and upgrade their forces with it. Which meant that the Sark were now immune to our powers. With this discovery, we all decided to go old school with this. I then watched as one of the members of the group who I knew was one of the new recruits came flying in, kicked a Zurk in the face, and began fighting with it. Vert tried to head-butt the Zurk that was on him before he realized that it was a robot that wouldn't feel that.

"Hey, metal head!" said a British voice I knew anywhere, the one who owned it holding a boom box in swinging position. "You went to slam-dancing?"

With that, he slammed the Zurk twice in head with the boom box, which just wrecked the boom box. The Zurk got up and grabbed him by the shirt, but the big guy that was in the group rammed right into it, sending the Zurk flying.

"Hey, bro, throw me!" a skinny guy said to the big guy as he jumped at him.

The big guy caught him and spin-threw him right at the Zurk with him landing on it and knocking it down.

"Bull's-eye!" the guy said after he landed on it.

We managed to dismantle most of the Zurk, all but one which was right behind me. I was gonna deal with it, but one of the recruits beat me to it as she jumped on it, ripped its head off, and kicked it into the portal. With that, I then went up and closed the portal before any more Sark came through. I turned to thank the recruit who helped me, but I was shocked by who it was.

"Agura?" I said to make sure I wasn't seeing things.

"Hey, Axe." She said to me with a smile.

With this, we ran up to each other and grabbed her into a hug. I guess it might have confused Vert ʹcause he didn't know much about my life before I met him besides what I decided to share him.

"You have no idea how long I wanted to see you again." I said to her as we held each other in each other's arms, our eyes locked into a loving gaze.

"I told we would see each other again, didn't I, my mighty Axe?" She said to me.

With that, we then closed our distance and had our long overdue kiss. With that kiss, I had no doubt Vert got the jest of it. I'm pretty everyone saw it for I did hear Trich and Mari "aw" from seeing it. Neither of us knew how long our kiss lasted and neither of us cared. I knew that both of us were just so happy to be together again. We eventually broke the kiss and hugged each other once again.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her.

"Same as these guys." Agura said as she pointed to the group with her thumb as they walked up to us.

"I'm guessing she's the girlfriend you've been talking to for the past few weeks?" Vert asked, surprising me that he knew that.

"Who told you I was talking to her?" I asked him.

"Trust." Vert answered, pointing to Trustin with his thumb.

"Trust!" I yelled at him for I was gonna leave my relationship with Agura a surprise for him to find out.

"Sorry, it slipped out." Trustin said with a nervous grin.

I sighed in annoyance before I recollected myself and decided to do some introductions.

"Yes, this is her." I said as I started to the introductions. "Vert, this is my girlfriend Agura Ibaden. Agura, this is Vert Wheeler, our new Element Gang recruit."

"Nice to meet ya." Vert said as he and Agura shook hands.

"You too, Vert." Agura kindly said before she broke it and looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "New recruit? Since when are you okay with rookies?"

"Since a few weeks ago." I said as I explained what happened. "Dude followed us into a storm and actually helped us get a Battle Key from the Vandals. Not unlike you did the last time we saw each other."

"Obviously." Agura said, know from experience before she pointed to the Battle Key in my hand. "That today's Key?"

"Yep." I told her. "We just got it from battling the Sark and the Terror-kinetics."

"Speaking of which, what the heck is with these Vengestoned Zurk?" Jay asked as he motioned to the decapitated Zurk on the ground.

"It would appear that Zemerik managed to find a supply of Vengestone back in his world." I said as I looked at the robot's body. "Now he's made his army immune to our powers."

"Let me guess: something he learned from Specter?" Vert asked me.

"No doubt." I answered him. "With upgrading him, Zemerik no doubt got the information from Specter's memories."

"First Kaze upgrades the Vandals' weapons, now this." Basar said. "Man, these Battle Zone have been getting harder ever since the Terror-kinetics joined the Sark."

"Well, we can worry about this later." I said before looking to the other four recruits. "Let's just get this sorted out first."

* * *

**[In the Battle Zone]**

**Specter's view**

As the portal closed, I watched as a Zurk head came through and landed at my feet.

"It would appear that the new armor wasn't able to give the Zurk a fighting chance." I said as my master came up to me.

"Reveal to me what has stored within this Zurk's data banks." Lord Zemerik said to me. "It might've gathered some important information."

"Yes, Lord Zemerik." I said as I then activated its video display and revealed what it had seen, only to see that it had a few moments on Earth and seeing that Fire Dragon right before it had its own head removed. "It would appear that the Element Gang have gathered more allies than we thought."

"It does not make any difference." Lord Zemerik said as he took the head from me after the recalled memory was finished. "They will soon fall and Earth will belong to the Sark."

With that, Lord Zemerik crushed the head and then ordered us all to head back through the portal.

* * *

**[Earth]**

**Axel's view**

I then watched as the recruits surrounded me and the guys.

"Everyone okay?" I said to everyone.

"Yeah, we're good." Trustin said to me.

"Okay, who are you and what in the world were those things?" the skinny guy asked me, talking about the Zurk.

"Where did you come from?" the big guy asked me, talking about when me and the guys came through the portal.

"More importantly, who's going to reimburse me for my boom box?" Stanford said to me as he held up his broken boom box.

"Nice to see you too, Stanford." I said to him with a hint of sarcasm.

"You know him?" Vert asked me.

"Unfortunately, we do." I said as I began the introduction. "Vert, meet Stanford Isaac Rhodes IV, a British royal me and the gang met back in high school."

"You went to high school with him?" Vert asked me, surprised by this.

"He was part of a foreign student exchange program." I answered him. "Same goes for Agura. How else do you think I was even able to meet her?"

"Yeah, I can see that." Vert said, getting it. "I see how Stanford got there, but how exactly did Agura get to your school?"

"Well, the truth is that Agura is royalty too." I said to him.

"Wait, seriously?" Vert said shocked by this.

"Yeah, she's a tribal princess that was sent to our school so she could learn how to cooperate with others." I said. "She's also one of the best hunters back home and the greatest one I've ever met."

"Axel, stop it." Agura said, getting a little embarrassed by the praise. "You're making me blush."

"Well, it's true." I said to her. "If it wasn't for your excellent tracking skills, the Vandals and Sark would've overrunned the Earth."

"Don't forget about my brave Stanfy." Mari said as we all looked her hold onto Stanford by the arm. "If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here right now."

"Oh, Mari." Stanford said, touched by what she said.

"'Stanfy'?" Vert said, confused by what Mari said.

"That's the nickname Mari gave him when she got Stanford as her boyfriend." I told Vert, the answer shocking him.

"Boyfriend?" Vert said as he looked at Mari and Stanford as they looked at each other like all couples do. "No way! He's dating living lightning bolt?"

"Oy! That's my girl you're talking about, you bloat!" Stanford said, offended by that.

"Okay, calm down, everyone!" I said to everybody. "Now before we can give you any answers, let's get to know each other." I then looked to the martial artist, the big guy, and the skinny guy and said "Starting with who you three are."

"I know them." Trustin said as he walked up to us. "Hey, guys."

"Trustin?" all three of them said.

"Trust, you know these guys?" Basar asked, confused by this.

"Base, you know these two." Trustin said, motioning to the skinny dude and the big guy. "Don't you remember that gaming tournament we went to?"

Basar gave it some thought before his widen in realization.

"Sherm? Spin?" Basar said to the two, looking at the big guy before looking at the skinny dude.

"Hey, Basar." The skinny dude said to who I guess was Spin.

"It's been a long time." Basar said as he and Spin fist-bumped. "How you've been?"

"Still the best gamers there are, right, little bro?" Spin said to the big guy, who I guess was Sherm.

"Got that right, big bro." Sherm said to him.

"You know these guys too, Basar?" I asked my earth elemental friend.

"Not with the guy with the bandana, but I know these two." Basar said, motioning to Spin and Sherman. "Axel, meet fraternal twins Spinner and Sherman, or as we call them, the Cortez Brothers. Couple of brainiacs like you we met at that gaming tournament me and Trust competed in back in Ronan. Remember that?"

"Oh, yeah." I said I finally remembered them. "It's been so long that I forgot." After that, I then decided to talk to Trust about our foreign recruit, pointing to said recruit with my thumb as I spoke. "So, I get how you and Base know those two, but how do you know this guy?"

"Oh, right. Sorry." Trustin said as he began to explain. "When I started my elemental training, my dad took me to Asia to learn under the teachings of Master Takeyasu."

"That old coot?" Basar asked in surprise.

"Hey, he's a great ally of the Element Gang, show some respect!" Trustin said, offended by that.

"Sorry." Basar said. "Yeesh! Touched a nerve."

"Though that explains your ninja stealth." I said to Trustin. "Master Takeyasu is a great ninja master. That's the reason why he's the head of the Order of the Flying Fists. He's tough, but wise."

"You're telling me. That man scares my dad." Trustin said to me.

"Wait, the Order of the Flying Fists?" Stanford as he walked up to Trustin with Mari. "You were a member of the Flying Fists?"

"You know them, Stanford?" I asked him, surprised by this.

"Of course. I have all their albums." Stanford said. "But how do you know about them?"

"Stanford, the Order of the Flying Fists is a great ally of the Element Gang." I said to him. "Why do you think I meditate from time to time?"

"Huh. I guess that makes sense." Stanford said, finally getting it. "I guess it was awful strange that the covers all had those strange symbols."

"So I'm guessing this is a student from there?" I said to Trustin, talking about the martial artist. "Did you meet him when he was little? ʹCause he looks kinda young."

"When I met him, he wasn't a student." Trustin said as he explained things. "Master Takeyasu took him in before I got there. He was lucky I showed up to keep him out of trouble."

"But, if he wasn't a student, then how exactly do you know him?" Basar asked and it was a good question.

"Guys, I like you to meet Zoom Takazumi, my little brother." Trustin said, shocking us all.

"He's your brother?" Basar asked.

"Adopted brother, really." Trustin said. "He didn't have a family so my dad decided to make him a part of ours. Where did you think my mom had been for the past few years and who I've been sending those letters to?"

"But why didn't you just tell us you had a brother?" I asked him.

"Well, I had to keep it all a secret." Trustin said. "You know how the Order is."

"Guess that makes sense." I said.

"Glad to see me, Zoom?" Trustin said to his little brother.

"You bet, big bro." Zoom said to him. "But mind telling me what exactly is going on here? You told me you were traveling the world and stuff, but nothing about fighting killer robots."

"Okay, we know you all have questions and we'll answer them later." I said to them. "Let's just head back to Vert's garage, grab a few sodas, and Sage will fill you all in."

"Sage?" Agura asked me.

"Yeah, that answer is back at the garage." I said. "Everyone, take a vehicle and let's get going."

With that, me and the team got to our vehicles and the group then picked their own rides. Agura rode with me, Zoom rode Trustin, Stanford rode with Mari, and the Cortez Brothers rode with Basar. With that all settle, we all drove back to base.

* * *

After getting back to base, Jay and the girls changed into their battle suits to make this a special event. After that, Sage filled in everything for the recruits and so did me and the gang on how this all happened.

"So you tricked us into coming here because you need us to help the Element Gang save the universe from those killer robots and mutant animals?" Stanford asked Sage after she explained the situation.

"That is correct." Sage answered him.

"Here's a question, Sage." Jay said to the Sentient. "Why did you pick five recruits when we only need four of them?"

"Jay, she said that we need five forces in order to defeat the Vandals and Sark." I said to him, explain what Sage meant. "The Saber being one of them means that there are four others like it. It doesn't mean there are just five members of the faction."

"But why us?" Agura said.

"Because Sage saw that the five of you can be able to help us." I said, already knowing the answer. "Each one of you brings something unique to the team and you're the best of the best. Right, Sage?"

"That is correct." Sage said.

"So…we're like superheroes?" Zoom asked.

"Exactly." Vert said to our new recruits. "And if we don't work together, our homes and everything we believe in will be destroyed."

"And with our enemies growing stronger by the moment, the Element Gang needs all the help we can get." I said.

"You all are civilization's last and greatest hope." Sage said.

"So who's in?" Vert asked the group.

"This means saving the planet and working with my friends again, I'm in." Agura said.

"We're in." the Cortez Brothers said.

"Totally! Especially if it's with my big bro!" Zoom said, excited about it.

"Uh." Stanford shrugged, not really thrilled about it.

Can't say I blame him. Not many people are willing to thrust themselves into danger like that.

"You get a cool car." Vert said to him.

"Uh." Stanford shrugged again until Mari came in and elbow him. He then sighed in defeat and said "Fine. I'm in as well."

* * *

**[Planet Vandal]**

**Kaze's view**

As the twin sun of Vandal were close to setting, me and Kalus kept on practicing to keep up on my training. To be honest, I really didn't mind being trained by him. He actually reminded me of my dad was in my elemental training back on Earth.

"Strike harder, Kaze!" Kalus said as we kept on training.

"Yes, sir." I said to him.

But, after I said that, he managed to trip me and got me pinned.

"You still have much to learn." Kalus said to me. "To live amongst us is to be a Vandals. And it is only through combat that a Vandal becomes stronger."

"Yes, Captain Kalus." I said to him as he had bested me once again.

"Captain Kalus!" Hatch yelled out as he ran over to us, Kalus lowering his weapon to let me get up and that roach carrying that interception device he was telling me about. "I intercepted a Sark transmission emanating from…a new world."

With that, he turned it on and it showed that rat in a desert back on Earth.

Kalus gasped before he said "The sub-creature!"

"That transmission is coming from Earth!" I said to Kalus. "I recognize that landscape anywhere.

"So this is your home world." Kalus said. "Then, once we retrieve a Battle Key, we shall ravage it and make the sub-creatures pay for trying to interfere!"

With this, Kalus then punched Hatch's device, breaking it.

"I spent years building that." Hatch said, depressed that his little machine was destroyed.

* * *

**[Earth]**

**Axel's view**

After getting everyone's agreement, Sage got to work on getting our recruits ready, summoning four more power cells. When each of them went through the process, they each got a battle suit like Vert, each with its own individual color and symbol on the shoulder.

"Four vehicles with four functions remain." Sage said as she brought up that pentagon from the Mobius Command Center or Mobi for short (Basar came up with the name), the pentagon still possessing the Saber's power cell in it.

"Okay, guys, here's how it works." I said as I began to explain what would happen to our new recruits. "In each of those four power cells Sage's got is a special blueprint for a vehicle designed to play a certain role in the team. You will be scanned and have a vehicle formed from the blueprints and customized based on your personalities, making the vehicles a great match and capable as you are. To bond with the vehicle you get, you need to name it, any name you want. Ready for this?"

They all agreed and Sage began the process, taking the yellow power cell and placing it in the pentagon.

"Zoom, you are nimble and an expert Muay Tai fighter." Sage said to Trustin's brother as the process began, those mechanical tubes and the manufacturing equipment getting to work while the rest of just watched as it happened.

Zoom got a yellow battle suit with a five-point star shuriken-like symbol on the shoulder and a yellow motorbike with blue wheels it had handles similar to the ones on Trustin's Ice Bike and Jay's Wave Rider.

"Awesome wheels!" Zoom said as he saw his new vehicle and before he jumped up, landed in fighting stance, and then posed in front of his bike. "The Chopper!"

"You will be the team's scout." Sage said to Zoom, making Trustin smile as his brother was a scout just like him. Sage then looked to Agura and said "Agura, you possess great hunting skills. You will be the team's special operations officer."

With this, Sage took the green power cell and placed it in the pentagon, starting the process with Agura. When it was done, Agura got a green battle suit with a symbol similar to a toxic warning label except with a fourth ring in it on the shoulder and a high-tech green ATV. If I was a car's guy like Basar, I wouldn't know which was be hotter: the vehicle or my beautiful Agura. When I saw Agura in that battle suit, I literally blew out steam from my nose. That happens when a Fire Dragon like me gets excited or is embarrassed in a situation that involves their true love.

"The Tangler." Agura said as she took pose in front of her new ride.

"Sherman, you possess brains and brawn." Sage said as she spoke to the Cortez Brothers, both who accepted the compliments. "And Spinner, unparalleled hacking skills and hand-eye coordination. You both will be the team's strategic tactical and tech support."

The twins high-fived each other as Sage placed the blue power cell into the pentagon, beginning the process with them. When it was done, the two were wearing two blue battle suits, Sherman's being a dark blue and Spinner's being a darker blue, with the symbol that looked like two gears together on the shoulder and a big blue, three-wheeled tank.

"The Buster!" The twins said as they posed in front of their tank.

"Stanford," Sage said as he looked at her with an uninterested look, "your expertise in sound and deadly accuracy makes you the team's artillery expert."

"Hey, that's what I am!" Mari said, excited from hearing that. "Isn't that great, Stanfy?"

We looked and saw that Stanford was beginning to like the idea. I would enjoy it too. Artillery expertise is important for a team in combat. Sage then place the purple power cell, the last of them, into the pentagon and the process began with Stanford. When the process was done, Stanford got a purple battle suit with a symbol that looked like a speaker being struck by three lightning bolts on the shoulder and a purple sports car which didn't look half bad.

"The Boomer!" Stanford said as he started trying to come up with a name for his new car. "The—the Pulsator! Hang on." None of us were crazy about those two names as they didn't slip off the tongue. It took him a moment before he took a pose and said "The Reverb! Yeah!"

"And Vert," Sage said as she looked to our first recruit as he stood in front of his Saber. "Like Axel, you display qualities of bravery and fearlessness. You will be the team's leader."

"Now we have everyone's roles in these two teams." I said to everyone in the room as my Element Gang teammates stood before their vehicles. "For my team, Mari, with her armed Storm Glider, is the artillery expert. Tricha, with the air support of her Torn Jet, is the special operations officer. Jay, with the quick capabilities of his Wave Rider, is the striker. Trustin, with the agile Ice Bike, is the scout. Basar, with the might of the Rockwheeler, is the team's combatant. And me with my Fire Cycle as the leader of the six." The six of us gathered together as stated of who we were. "Together, we are the Element Gang." The six of then looked to our new faction as they all gather together with Vert. "Now for you guys. Like with all the ally factions that came before you, your team will have a name that we shall use for you as you help us defend the Earth."

"Axel is correct." Sage said as she spoke to Vert and the others. "And so, you shall be known as…"

"The Battle Force 5." Vert said as they all took pose in front of the Saber after he put on his specs.

"Battle Force 5. Nice!" Basar said, giving Vert a thumbs-up.

We then watch as Spinner did a head count on everyone on the team before he said "Um…there are…six of us?"

Thanks to my super-hearing, I was able to hear Sherman whisper to Spinner.

"He's counting vehicles." Sherm said to his brother.

"Ah! I knew that." Spinner scoffed, pretending he didn't just realized that.

Basar laughed and said "Classic Spinner! Ha, ha!"

* * *

After that, I then gave Zoom, Spinner, and Sherm special EG communicators so they could keep in touch with us. To wait for the next Stormshock, we all switched to our normal clothing and decided to celebrate to our new faction at a local diner called Zeke's Diner. Vert recommended it as he said it had the best pizza in town and me and the gang knew that he said the magic word to get Mari to go. We managed to get a booth and got some pizza and soda. Well, we had to get some chairs from the back so we could all sit down. Vert, Sherm, me, Agura, Basar, Tricha, Mari, and Stanford took the booth seats while Trustin, Zoom, and Jay took the chairs. Spinner decided to sit on the back of the booth seat beside Sherm.

"So…let me get this straight." Spinner said as he ate his slice of the pizza. "When we're not fight evil creatures from other dimensions, we pretend to be test drivers for spectrum motors?"

"That's the cover story." Vert said to him.

"But seriously? Test drivers?" Jay said, not really thrilled about the cover we had. "Couldn't we have a better cover than that?"

"Hey, you try coming up with a cover for people driving those vehicles out there." I said to Jay, a little ticked for him complaining about it as I did try to come up with good cover of us.

"If Mari wasn't a part of this, I would take my sweet, new ride and hightail it out of this dead-end town." Stanford said.

"You don't really have much a choice here, Stanford." I said to him. "Right now, we're all in this together whether you like it or not."

"Axel's right." Agura said, agreeing with me. "The Sark and Vandals are tyrants and tyrants must be stopped."

We then heard the bell on the door ring and looked to see a cop coming in here.

"Speaking of tyrants…" Vert said as he looked at the cop, who walked over to us.

"Vert Wheeler." The cop said as he no doubt glared at Vert under those shades.

"Ouch!" Stanford said as he got smacked in the head by the cop.

"We're not here to cause any trouble, Sheriff Johnson." Vert said right before our communicators beeped and I sensed the Stormshock.

"Stormshock opening in T-minus 3 minutes, repeat." Sage said over the communicator, which was bad timing as now we had to come up with an explanation for that.

"What was that?" The sheriff asked us, talking about our communicators.

"That there's an alien communicator." Zeke, the owner of the diner, said as he came up to the counter, pointing at Vert's communicator.

Yeah, Vert told me he was one of those alien hunters. Though he wasn't that far off. The communicators were a combination between Earth tech and Sentient tech.

"Relax, Zeke." Vert said, using his spat to come with an excuse.

"Yeah, these are just some high-tech watches from Japan." I said as I tried to help with the excuse with a nervous chuckle at the end as the sheriff looked at me.

He looked at me for a while before he backed away and said "Let me guess: your last name is Frank?"

"Yeah, my name is Axel Frank." I said, surprised he knew I was a Frank.

"You wouldn't happened to be related to a Jamey Frank, would you?" he asked me.

"Yeah, that's my dad." I said, just even more confused by this. "How did you know that?"

"Huh! You kidding me?" The sheriff scoffed. "You have the same mug as him. That's one face I can never forget."

"Hey, yeah." Zeke said to me. "Now that I got a good look at ya, you're a spitting image of old Jamey."

"You guys knew my dad?" I asked them.

"Knew him? He used to live around here." Zeke said to me, shocking me even more.

"My dad lived around here?" I said.

"Hey, Axel, we got to go." Vert said before the sheriff got up in his face.

"You better not be up to any funny business, Wheeler." The sheriff said.

"Yes, sir. No funny business." Vert said as he saluted to the sheriff. "Guys, let's jet!"

With that, we all left the booth, got to our vehicles, and headed off to get back to base, that alert about the Stormshock going off again as we went out the door.

"The invasion has begun!" Zeke said and we chose to ignore him, no doubt not believing our story about the communicators.

* * *

**[Planet Sark]**

**Specter's view**

As the Stormshock appeared out in the distance before us, me, my Terror-kinetics, and Lord Zemerik were ready to enter the Battle Zone, claim the Battle Key, and then conquer Earth.

"Sark, prepare to attack!" Zemerik said as all the Zurk behind us advanced towards the Stormshock.

* * *

**[Planet Vandal]**

**Kaze's view**

Me, the Dark Gang, Hatch, Sever, and Krocomodo stood alongside Kalus as he spoke to the army of Vandal warriors and Shadow Warriors bellow us.

"Vandals!" Kalus said as he got all of their attention before he motioned to the storm outside the city. "Follow me to the portal!"

* * *

**[Earth]**

**Axel's view**

After getting back to base and changing into our battle suits, we got to our vehicles and got ready to move out to the Stormshock.

"I wish you all had more time to prepare." Sage said to us. "Do your best to retrieve the Battle Key and seal the portal from our enemies."

"Nothing like on-the-job training." Vert said as he got into his Saber.

"Element Gang, rev up and roll out!" I said as me, the gang, and Battle Force 5 head on out to catch the Stormshock.

"Okay, Element Gang!" I said as we got closer to the Stormshock. "Into the storm!"

"Battle Force 5," Vert said as we drove to the Stormshock, "it's storm-riding time!"

This was how it was gonna be from now one. The eleven of us against armies of mutant animals and killer robots. Typically day for us. No matter what, we will never give up. We will fight to protect the Earth. We will fight to protect its people. We will fight to protect our home. For we are the Element Gang and Battle Force 5!


	3. Chapter 2: Gearing Up

**Chapter 2: Gearing Up**

There we were, me, the Element Gang, and the newly formed Battle Force 5 driving our high-tech vehicles towards the Stormshock.

"I still can't believe my darling's got her own set of wheels now." Stanford said as we drove towards the tornado before us, surprised to see Mari's Storm Glider in land mode.

"Believe it, Stan." Jay said to him over the comm. "At least she won't be dragging so much attention like before."

"Okay, rookies, listen up." I said, using the comm to take to Spinner, Sherm, and Zoom. "We're closing in on the Stormshock. This will be your first going into one, so listen to me and the others. We have more experience with these, so we'll guide you through it. Hang tight. First time's always bizarre."

"Get ready, little bro!" Trustin said as he drove beside Zoom.

Once we were close enough to the Stormshock, the Storm Friction took affect and the wheels of our vehicles started glowing red.

"Whoo-hoo! I got some hot wheels!" Zoom yelled out in excitement as he turned up on the throttle.

"Don't get cocky, kid." Jay said to him over the comm. "This is only the easy part."

"Oh, yeah!" Basar said as we got closer to the Stormshock. "Storm Friction in 3…2…1!"

"We have lift off!" Sherm said as we all began driving up the storm, Battle Force 5 cheering out in excitement with Basar.

"Now I see why you like riding these things, Base!" Mari said to him over the comm. "This is almost as good as flying!"

"Darling, do be careful." Stanford said, concerned about Mari. "These storms haven't been much forgiving for anyone."

"Oh, relax, Stanfy." Mari said to him. "I've done this more times than I can count. I got this."

"Okay, listen up, guys." I said as I switched over to the rookies to tell them what will happen next. The storm produces electrical currents that will send you straight back out if you're not careful. The portal will open at the eye of the storm, but only for a moment. Once it forms, give it everything you got and get through the portal before it closes."

"In other words, keep your eyes open and don't wipe out!" Vert said over the comm.

"What about hurling?" Spinner said over the comm. "ʹCause I'm about to do that!"

"Easy, bro." Sherm said to him. "Think about something else, like…how lucky we are not to be on a motorcycle."

"Hey!" Jay said, offended by what Sherm said. "At least I'm not a bigger target like you!"

"Let it go, Jay." Trustin said to his fellow cycler.

"Hey, I think I see something!" Zoom said as we all looked to see that it was the portal forming. "Is that the portal?"

"It is!" I said, confirming it. "You found it!"

"Great scouting!" Vert said to him.

"You will soon be out of radio contact." Sage said to me as a hologram of her head appeared on the dashboard. "Remember, you must secure the Battle Key."

"We're on it, Sage!" I said as her hologram then faded away and I got everyone on the comm. I would've been leading the group until…

"Aah!" I heard Agura yell as I looked to see that she was struck by a current and sent back a bit.

"Agura!" I drove back there to get to her and used my Fire Cycle's grappling cable to latch onto her to help her back onto the funnel. After doing so, I retracted the cable before we revved off to rejoin the others with me driving beside her to make sure she was okay. "Agura, are you okay?"

"Ugh! I'm fine." She groaned as she recovered. "I'm about off-roading, but this is ridiculous."

"Okay, but stick with me so it doesn't happen again." I said to her, wanting to make sure she didn't get hurt. "I don't want anything to happen to you while we here."

"Still watching over me like always." She said to me, touched by this.

"Well, you always had my back." I said to her. "Now I'll have your back."

"The portal's open! Floor it!" Vert said as we all looked as saw the portal was open.

"It's head-banging time!" Stanford said as he no doubt turned on his music to get in the mood, all of kicking into high gear towards the portal.

"Be on high alert, guys!" I said as we got closer to the portal. "Remember, the Battle Zones intersect throughout the multiverse. So the enemy will be waiting on the other side."

"Get ready to crash and bash!" Vert said as we all then headed through the portal.

* * *

When we got through, we got a good look at the Battle Zone. There were gears everywhere. Whole thing made me feel like I was inside a clock.

"Whoa. This is a Battle Zone?" Zoom said as those last two words echoed through the Battle Zone, amazed by it.

"Yep. This is a Battle Zone." Trustin said to his little brother. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Been a long time since I been in one of these." Stanford said over the comm. "Where's the enemy? I was hoping for a party."

"They'll be here." I said to him. "The Vandals and Sark are never far behind. Which means we need to get this done before arrive."

"Axel's right." Vert said to the group. "Party or no party, we have our mission: get the Battle Key, get out of the zone, and lock it down."

"This'll be easy than I thought." Spinner said before he yawned, no doubt sitting back in his seat to relax. "Wake me up when we save the Earth."

"Well, does anyone see the Battle Key?" Basar asked.

"I see it. Over there!" Agura said as we all looked to see it at the center of the zone, the Key floating somewhere between the ceiling and the ground.

"Portal at 10'o'clock!" Trustin said as we all looked and saw a portal open up just as far from the Key as we were.

"I'm guessing Stanford's gonna get his party after all." Zoom said as we saw what came through.

"Okay, I'm awake!" Spinner said as we all got a good look at who joined us in the Battle Zone as it was none other than Krocomodo, Hatch, Sever, and Kalus.

"And that would be Captain Kalus and his Vandals." Vert said as we saw the Vandals.

"And they're not alone." I said as we looked and saw who else was with them.

Who I was talking about was the Dark Gang, led by none other than Kaze Shutzman. They all had vehicles of their own that were made with similar designs to me and the gang's elemental vehicles mixed with the styles of a predator. To give you more of an understanding on these crooks, I'll tell you about the members. The members of the Dark Gang are descendants of the original Dark Gang, just like how me and my elemental team are descendants of the original Element Gang. As you probably know, the Dark Gang also have the same power as us. Most of the members got new names due to evolving in the past. Those guys even on saying what they wanted to be called for when they return to Earth. They all wore Vandal clothing and had vehicles to match.

First off is Silvian Cheff, who you better know him as the lying ice elemental Darkdra. With his evolution, he decided on going by the name DarkFang. He's the Dark Gang's scout with his wolf-themed, bone and metal structured Bone Hunter motorcycle.

Colt Taylor, who you would know by the name Tristone, the trust breaker earth elemental. He's Kaze's muscle with his metal chasee Terra-rizer ATV which he based the theme off Krocomodo's car.

Kura Finley, famously known as the air elemental cat burglar DarkCla who has now become DarkPunchette. She's the Dark Gang's hunter with her Bone Viper, the theme and design pretty self-explanatory.

Soloman Stagg, better known as the cruel water elemental Darktillian now DarkRang. He's the Dark Gang's striker with his Shredder Jaw, which he based off Sever's car.

Berthona Delaurenti, A.K.A. DarkBlade the dark and gloomy lightning elemental who has evolved into DarkBlaster. She's the Dark Gang weapons specialist with her arsenal carrying, bat-themed, bone and metal structure Grave Rat car.

And to finish it all off, there's Kaze Shutzman, who you all would know as Dargon, the worst criminal in history, coming from a long line of them as leader of the Dark Gang. He leads them with his lion-themed, gold and black chariot the Primal Bounty, which he seemed to have adjusted to have more of a motorcycle construct. It haves similar functions to Kalus' chariot.

"Great. The Vandals and the Dark Gang." Basar said as we saw those villains.

"Wait, those guys are the Dark Gang?" Zoom asked, surprised by this.

"Yeah." Trustin said to his little brother. "Keep your distance from them. Those guys aren't people you want to mess with."

"Yeesh! Can this get any worse?" Jay said, right before another portal opened up somewhere right across from us.

"Another portal opening at 2'o'clock!" Sherm said as we all saw it.

We all watched as some Sark along with the Terror-kinetics came through the portal, no doubt Zemerik being with them as we saw Zug's driller vehicle.

"The Sark!" Vert said as the Sark come right through.

"And the Terror-kinetics!" Mari said.

To give you a more clear idea on the Terror-kinetics, I'll explain who they are. The Terror-kinetics were once soldiers of the Dark Gang until they went rogue and aligned themselves with the Sark, where that got new technological upgrades to advance their abilities to match both me and the Element Gang and the Dark Gang.

First off, we have their scout Mars. His scanners can be able to pick up any kind of signature, collect data on opponents, and recollect it for use of strategy in future encounters with opponents for both himself and the Sark.

Next, we have Pluto, a force to be messed with on both land and in the sea. Thanks to his abilities, he can be able to make the first move before his opponent can make it in hand-to-hand combat.

Hana, an emotionless psychopath armed with just about every kind of weapon the Sark pack her with. She doesn't hesitate to finish off her foes when she gets the chance.

Arachna, the hunter of the Sark. Thanks to the tech, she able to analyze and figure out any event that happened before and track down anything. Just about nothing she is sent to hunt can escape her.

Vetto, the most sadistic of them all. Strength equal to Basar and Colt, razor sharp claws and teeth, and a pure animal instinct. He's basically the beast within the Sark.

And Specter, leader of these cybernetic misfits. Possessing similar powers to me, he will do anything for Zemerik.

Now this was trouble. With both the Vandals with the Dark Gang and the Sark with the Terror-kinetics here, it's gonna be a full-on brawl for that Battle Key. We all held out ground, waiting for one of us to make the first move.

**Kaze's view**

As we waited for Captain Kalus' orders, I looked around to see the red rat and the rest of the bothersome pests along with the inferior Sark and the traitors. Looking at those pests, I saw that there were five other vehicles with them. It would appear that they had gained new allies. No matter. This battle will be over along with the war once my Dark Gang and I reveal our little surprise.

**Specter's view**

As I got to look around, I saw that both the Element Gang and the Dark Gang, my former masters with their primitive allies. Though I was surprised when I saw five new vehicles along with the Element Gang, one I recognized from the previous Battle Zone. It would appear I was right. The Element Gang did have more allies. No matter, it would not stop us from seizing the Key.

"Seize the Battle Key." Lord Zemerik said he began heading towards the Battle Key, the rest of us following behind.

"For the glory of the Sark Empire!" I yelled as we all headed towards the Key.

**Kaze's view**

With the Sark on the move, Kalus then had as all to seize the key, our captain leading us as we followed behind.

"For Vandal and victory!" I yelled out as we headed towards the Key.

**Axel's view**

Seeing both the Vandals and Sark heading to the Key, I saw it was time to get moving.

"Element Gang, rev up and roll out!" I said as we all then head off to get the Key.

All of us were closing in on the Key and it seemed like it was gonna be easy…until I heard some beeping as me and the others were reaching the last stretch and felt the ground lower a bit. That wasn't normal.

**Specter's view**

Just as we were closing in on the Key, the ground suddenly just lowered itself. I could help but think: what exactly was that?

**Kaze's view**

Just as we were so close to the Battle Key, the ground suddenly move. Why did the ground just move?

**Axel's view**

Just when I heard some gears clanking, I looked around as saw that the gears were all turning as the ground began moving around.

"Earthquaaaaake!" Spinner said as the ground kept on moving.

Seeing how something was happening to the Battle Zone, me and Vert decided to stop our teams until it was okay to move on.

"Whoa! Fall back!" Vert said as he and Battle Force 5 stopped.

"Hold up, guys!" I said as me and the Element Gang stopped. "Something isn't right here."

We all then felt it as the ground beneath began moving around like those gears.

"What the heck is going?" Jay asked, confused by why the Battle Zone was moving around.

"Our vehicles must've activated the Battle Zone." Sherm said, making sense there.

"Yeah, it must be some kind of security measure to protect the Battle Key." I said, supporting him. "The whole place must be rearranging itself to keep us away from the Key."

"Guys, keep your eyes on that Key!" Vert said as we all saw the Battle Key go pass us on the center of a moving gear's face.

**Kaze's view**

We all watched as a piece of whatever machine this was moved past us.

"The Key!" Kalus said as the machinery went past us.

**Specter's view**

We all watched as the moving mechanism possessing the Battle Key relocated itself.

"Mars!" I said to my strategist.

"Recalculating now." Mars said to me as we kept our sights on the Key.

**Axel's view**

After the Key went past us, the ground stopped moving, which meant only one thing to do now.

"Go!" I said as we all drove off after the Key.

**Kaze's view**

After finally getting out of that trap, I decided it was time to show the Element Gang the little surprise we have for them.

"Kura, Berthona!" I said to the two with the use of our new communication grid. "Time to become the birds of prey. Get out there and get that Key!"

"Yes, sir!" Kura said as she and Berthona then went off the tracks to activate the new upgrade I added to their vehicles.

**Axel's view**

Things seemed pretty easy and we were right on the Vandals' tail until Kura and Berthona went off the track. I thought the Dark Gang finally snapped as there was nothing but rows of gears bellow. But it changed once I saw them coming back up. When I got a good look at them, I was shocked to see that they were now flying. Their vehicles now resembled the flight modes of the Torn Jet and the Storm Glider.

"What the…? Since when did those things fly?" Basar said as we watched the two Dark Gang Elementals fly off.

"Looks like Kaze gave Kura and Berth flight mode vehicles." I said.

"Hey! Nobody likes a copycat!" Mari said.

"There's no doubt they're gonna be going after the Key." I said as I figured out what Kaze was up to. "Trich, Mari, you go up there and keep those two away from the Key."

"You got it!" Mari said as she and Trich then went off, switched their vehicles to flight mode, and went off to take on Kura and Berth.

"Okay, split up! We need to make sure the Vandals and Sark don't get the Key." I said as I explained the plan. "Agura, Basar, and I will take care of the other Vandals. Vert, time to take the lead. You and the others go after the Key and keep it away from the Sark."

**Vert's view**

As Axel and his group went on to face off with the Vandals, I decided to see if I learned a thing or two from him.

"Okay, guys. Just like we planned it. Take out the enemy, find that Key!" Vert said as he told the guys the plan. "Buster, take down the big bot. Wave Rider, time for a little animal control. Reverb, put the boom on that croc. Chopper, Ice Bike, get up high and find that Key."

"We're on it!" Trustin said as he and Zoom went on to find the Key.

**Trustin's view**

Things were pretty smooth for us for a while until we ran into the Sark.

"Oh, boy." I said, worried where this was going.

"Time for some big air!" Zoom said to me and I knew what he was thinking.

"Then let's give these guys the slip!" I said as I activated the Ice Bike's freeze thrusters, freeze the ground.

After getting close enough, we decided to do the old chicken maneuver.

"See ya later!" I said as me and my little bro went around the Sark, them screaming as they began slipping on my ice.

With that, we went on a gear and used it as a ramp to get enough air so we can get hovering.

"Whoo-hoo!" Zoom said as we switch our bikes to hover mode.

"Ha-ha! I really gave them the cold shoulder, huh?" I said to my little brother.

"Yeah!" Zoom said before he started falling towards the pile of turning gears. "Whoa!"

"Zoom!" I said as I then dove down to save before he got crushed.

I was able to make it and get us both to another track. We switched off hover mode so we didn't crash on the track.

"Ah! That was a close one." I said before looking to my brother. "You okay, little bro?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Zoom said to me. "What happened?"

"You hovered too late." I said to I explained to him. "There's wasn't enough time for your bike to fly. With a something like this, you need to time the mode change so you don't crash."

"Got ya." He said to me before he groaned. "Love the bike, hate the learning curve."

"Kinda how it works in the Element Gang." I said to him as we got our bike back on their wheels. "Once you start being a hero, you learn as you go. Now let's find that Key."

With that, we then got rolling after the Battle Key.

**Axel's view**

With me, Agura, and Basar, we were driving towards the Vandals, ready to clash with them as drove toward us.

"Been a while since I faced off with these guys." Agura said as we kept going towards the Vandals. "I sure missed this."

She then tried to shoot a grappling hook at Kalus, but the furball was able to knock it away, shocking her right before he shot one of his resonator arrows.

"Resonator arrow, look out!" Basar said as we all tried to dodge it, but Agura got hit and it caused the Tangler to malfunction.

The Tangler's back grappler ended up hooked on something behind us and me and Basar stopped as Agura was being pulled backwards.

"Oh, no." I managed to hear Agura say as me and Basar saw that she was now snagged on a rotating gear that soon pulled her onto it.

"Agura!" I said, worried of might happen to her.

"I'll take care of the Vandals. You get Agura." Basar said to me before he drove off to face the Vandals by himself and I went on to save Agura.

**Kaze's view**

Just when I thought things couldn't get easier. The Element Gang's brawn was now trying to take us all on by himself. Though, I thought it was gonna be easy until he showed those blades under his wheels and was able to hold us back. Luckily, I had Colt and Soloman stay back and keep him busy while we get the Key. At least the rat and his ally would be heading to their doom.

**Agura's view**

Looked like I managed to escape the Vandals. Not what I planned, but I'll take it. At least…until I saw the 30 foot drop down there.

"Oh, no." I said as I tried to make sure I didn't fall off, but I ended up hanging by the cable before it just snapped.

I thought I was gonna crash, but something stopped the fall. After getting on the ground, I got out to see Axel behind me. I had no doubt that he caught before I touched the ground.

"Man, gotta love the shock suit." He said, admiring the suit he was wearing.

"Thanks for the save." I said to him.

"Hey, I said I got your back, right?" he said to me with a smile. "Come on, better find the Key before the Vandals do."

With that, we both got to our vehicles and we drove off to find the Battle Key.

**Kaze's view**

Kalus growled as we all saw that the rat and his ally were still alive as they drove off.

**Tricha's view**

With me and Mari, we were dealing with our own little problem. We managed to disrupt Kura and Berthona's search for the Battle Key, but wound up in an aerial battle with them, which had now turned into a chase with them doing the chasing, me and Mari doing our very best to defeat them. It was great luck that this Sentient technology gave our vehicles rear defense cannons in flight mode. Though these girls were able to do a good job in evasion.

"Give it up!" Kura said as she and Berthona continued to chase us, making their own counter fire. "Nothing can escape my Sky Viper!"

"It is best to give up hope now." Berthona said in that dreadful tone of hers.

"Man, these girls are really getting on my nerves!" Mari said as we did our share of evading blasts.

"I must say that I'm getting tiresome of these two myself." I said to her over the comm unit. "In such a dangerous airspace, we do need to find a way to end this before it grows out of hand."

We managed to find a way to get rid of them once we saw the Cortez Brothers' Buster with Zug, Vetto, Pluto, Arachna, and Hana following behind. Seeing how its design resembled a tank, I suspected it would be what we need to be rid of those ruffians.

"Mari, I believe I found a solution to our little problem." I said to her. "Connect your comm link to the Buster and lead the ruffians toward them."

"Okey-dokie!" Mari said as we both then started heading towards the Buster.

But, when we connected to the Buster, we were met by a conversation between the brothers as the Buster began shifting randomly with its arsenal.

"Uh…I can't remember which buttons to push." Spinner said as the Buster shot spikes at the group of Sark, managing to take out both Vetto and Pluto by causing the two to crash into each other. "Get us out of here, little brother! Fast!"

Me and Mari were a bit confused by this, though it was understandable for this was their first time doing anything like this. When we were beginning to close in on them, we were going to establish communication with them until we saw the Buster form some kind of ramp behind it as Zug was drive towards them. Seeing what they were doing, I was gonna make sure we went through with it.

"Mari, when I give the word, fly to the left." I said to my energetic companion.

"Your left or my left?" she asked.

"They are both the same left." I said to her as we both waited for the right moment. "Ready…"

Then, just like I thought, Zug went onto the ramp and was sent flying into the air, toward us.

"Uh, Trich?" Mari said to me nervously.

"Now!" I said as we both flew out of the way, just in time to dodge Zug and let those barbarians of ladies fly right towards him.

Kura and Berthona screamed in terror as Zug came right at them. They tried to dodge him, but his drill clipped the wings off their vehicles and sent them crashing into a track near the Cortez Brothers.

"Factoring in the distance and velocity of that vehicle…" Sherman said as Zug's drill landed on another nearby track, the vehicle skidding towards a rotating gear. "He isn't gonna make it."

"Ooh!" Mari said as Zug's drill was now jammed into the gear. "Bad day for Zug."

"I got to remember that button." Spinner said.

"Thank you for the help, boys." I said as Mari and I were ready to return the favor. "Now me and Mari shall deal with your little problem."

With that, Mari and I moved to take on the two remaining Terror-kinetics chasing them. Had no doubt Arachna had an "Oh, no" moment when she saw mine and Mari's cannons aimed at her and Hana, blasting them both away and decommissioning their vehicles.

"Whoa! Nice shot!" Spinner said to us as me and Mari rejoined them, shifting our vehicles back to their land form. "You girls are awesome!"

"I do appreciate the compliment, Spinner." I said to him. "Though I would expect you to behavior yourself around me and Mari for we are in relationships."

**Basar's view**

Back with me, I was having an epic brawl with Colt and Soloman. These guys were actually making it pretty hard for me. I was able to take on Colt and his Terra-rizer pretty easily, but Soloman's Shredder Jaw was moving too fast for me to wreck and that weasel managed to trip me up. I had to go all fisticuffs with Colt. Though neither of us could use most of our powers because this place was made of metal and we both could only use those powers on solid rock. It wasn't long until they both managed to beat me and Colt got me by the throat.

"Looks like the mighty legacy of Apolloid has come to an end." Colt said as held me at the front of Soloman's Shredder Jaw, the hood popped up to reveal all the chainsaw teeth in it. "Any last words?"

I thought I was done for there as I couldn't smash the Vengestone casing or break out of the Vengestone cable they had me tied up on. But then I heard a familiar engine hum and got my usual smug back.

"Hope you got your floaties." I said to him, making Colt raise a brow before Soloman was blast away.

"What the…?" Colt said before he was then blast away too.

As the two laid there out cold, I watched as Jay pulled up with the Wave Rider's cannon ready to fire.

"You okay there, Base?" Jay asked me as he came over and untied me.

"Yeah. Thanks for the save." I said to him as he helped me up. "Now let's untie my ride and get out of here."

With that, we then got the Rockwheeler freed and headed off before those two woke up. While driving, we managed to find Stanford, who was being chased by that overgrown gator. We thought he was done for when Krocomodo shot some harpoons at him, but he managed to get his car to jump up and dodge it. We all watched as old snaggletooth got snagged on moving gear. I heard a clank and looked up to see Stanford hit some kind of ceiling. I managed to stop him by using my Rockwheeler to catch him and bring back to the track.

"You okay there, Stanford?" Jay asked him on the comm.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said on the comm. "Lamest baseline I ever mixed."

"You'll get the hang of it. But nice moves back there." I said to him, reminding him what just happened. "Did you see Krocomodo's face when he was getting dragged by that gear? That was awesome!"

"Yeah! We've should've had Axe make you a car a long time ago!" Jay said to him.

"That was pretty great, wasn't it?" Stanford said, feeling proud about it.

"Now let's get moving. We still got a Battle Key to find." I said before we then drove off to find the Key, leaving that gator hanging on that gear.

**Axel's view**

After driving for a while without finding the Battle Key, I decided to check in on everyone.

"Element Gang, what's your status?" I said as I used the comm to contact the others.

"Battle Force 5, anybody got a 20 on the Battle Key?" Vert asked over the comm.

"Got it in my sight." Agura said.

"What? Where?" I said as I looked around until I saw the Key, floating over another gear (or the same gear?), couldn't really tell with this whole place shifting around. "Oh. Don't worry, Vert. Me and my hunter got this."

"Then what are you waiting for? Take it!" Vert said.

"Are you sure you can be able to get through there?" Agura said to me with concern. "I'm not sure the Fire Cycle can get through that. Maybe you should hang back and let me get the Key."

"Oh, come on, Agura." I said to her, confident I could make it. "I've dealt with tougher terrains than this. This will be easy. Let's just get the Battle Key and get out of here."

"Okay. Don't say I didn't warn you." She said to me as we then started driving over to the Key.

Though, when we got to those gears, I ran into some trouble. Agura was able to drive through it with her Tangler, but I was having trouble getting over the gears. Thought I wasn't gonna make it until Agura used her grappler to get me out of there and used the Tangler to help me through these gears.

"Easy, huh?" She said to me in a smug tone as she kept on driving, dragging me behind.

"O…kay… You…were…right…about…the…gears." I said as the back tire of my Fire Cycle bounced on the gears' teeth, feeling embarrassed by this. "Don't…have…to…rub…it…in."

Once we reached the end, Agura made the Tangler jump and I watched as the Battle Key stuck underneath her vehicle.

"Okay, we got the Key!" I said to the others on the comm.

"Yeah!" Vert cheered out. "Everybody, back to the portal!"

After a while of being dragged by Agura, I decided to put an end to it.

"Agura?" I said, getting her attention. "You can stop dragging me now."

"Oh, right. Sorry." She said as she then release the grappler and I got back to driving my Fire Cycle.

"Thank you." I said before I then decided to take the Key. "And I'll take that."

"Hey!" she said as I drove in front of her, ticked off that I took the Battle Key from her.

"This is for gloating about my mistake." I said to her as we kept on driving towards the portal.

**Vert's view**

After a while, I managed to meet up with Trustin and Zoom.

"Portal's straight ahead, Vert." Zoom told me.

"Nice." I said, glad to hear that.

Thought we were home free until Zemerik got right in front of us.

"Zemerik!" I said.

"And he's got Mars and Specter with him!" Trustin said as we saw the other two with him.

"Zoom, hang back and wait for the others." I said as I came up with a plan. "Trustin, let's clear this robo-roadblock."

"End of the line for you!" Specter said to us.

"He is correct, organics." Zemerik said to us. "You cannot win!"

"We're gonna cut you a new data port, Zemerik!" I said as I switched on the Saber's blades.

With that, we drove at each other, Trustin managed to take out those robo-goons by blinding Mars with a frost covered windshield and taking out one of Specter's wheels, causing them to crash into each other.

Now all was left Zemerik. After managing to get a hit on him, I got the chainsaw out and was ready to turn this guy into scrap metal as he got those blades of his out.

**Basar's view**

When we got to the portal, we saw Vert taking on Zemerik, even him managing to get hit on him.

"Wow." I said, amazed by this. "First, Kalus, now this."

"First day as a leader and he's already facing off one of the bad guys there is." Jay said right before we got something on the comm.

"Time for a sonic speed bump." A voice said and I thought it was Jay.

"What did you say?" I asked him.

"I didn't say anything." He said to me.

"Then who…?" I then realized it when I did a look around. "Wait, where's Stanford?"

We then began looking around to see where he went until…

"Over there!" Jay said as we looked over and saw the Reverb hiding over Zemerik on the track we took, cannons aimed right over that robotic psycho. "What is he doing?"

"I think he's trying to take out Zemerik!" I said as we then looked at Vert and Zemerik charging at each other and I knew where that was going. "Stanford, no!"

But it was too late. Vert and Zemerik switched sides on the track and Stanford ended up firing on the Saber, almost knocking Vert off the track with a gear there to finish the job.

"Stanford!" I yelled out over the comm, making that makeup-wearing Brit wince.

When we got over to where Vert was falling, we thought he was goner, but something broke his fall. When he got to solid ground, we saw what he landed on. It was…a Mobi!

"Oooh." Stanford winced as he saw the mistake he made.

"Vert, we're on our way." Zoom said over the comm, no doubt with the others. "I think we found another way down."

"Ugh! What happened?" Vert groaned as he recovered from that fall.

"Oh, Stanford just knocked you off the road while trying to take out Zemerik." Jay said, too amazed as I was from seeing the Mobi to care.

"What?!" Vert said in shock before ranting, no doubt at Stanford. "Dude, I had him!"

"Sorry, mate." Stanford said to him.

"Forget all that." I said as I knew Vert needed to see what he landed on. "Vert, look what's front of you and tell that is what I think it is."

"What is that exactly?" Stanford said, now looking at the Mobi.

"It's a Mobi?" Vert said, just as surprised as me and Jay.

"What is a…?" Stanford said, right before the Mobi disappeared. "…was a Mobi?"

**Specter's view**

After that fight and seeing there was no point in fighting the Element Gang after taking damage, we decided on a full retreat with me and Mars riding with Lord Zemerik.

"Mars?" I asked my strategist. "Is there any chance that the organic survived the crash?"

"Scanners indicate impact causing immense damaged. 0 percent chance of survive." Mars said to me. "Termination inevitable."

"The organic leader had been neutralized." Lord Zemerik said, speaking to the soldiers we brought. "Sark, group!"

It all seemed well, until something struck the back of Zemerik's vehicle. I looked behind us and found the Vandals had caught up to us. Thanks to them, we ended up crashing, the vehicle damaged beyond repair.

"Zug, retreat to the Sark portal." Lord Zemerik said through the communication grid as me and Mars recovered. "Specter! Mars! Escort me back to Sark. We must analyze this amount of data and prepare a new plan for the destruction of Earth."

"Yes, Lord Zemerik." Mars and I said as we helped our glorious leader out of his vehicle and back to Sark.

**Axel's view**

After managing to get to Vert, me and the others saw him, Basar, Jay, and Stanford moving around with their arms out in front.

"Um…what are you guys going?" I asked, confused by this.

"We saw a Mobi." Stanford said to me

"A Mobi?" I asked, shocked by what he said. "Around here?"

"What's a Mobi?" Agura asked me.

"Mobi is short for 'Mobius Command Center'." I answered her.

"A nickname by yours truly." Basar proudly said.

"It's a gigantic mobile base created by Sentients." I said as I explained.

"It's like a garage on wheels." Jay said. "How do you think Sage gave us those vehicle upgrades or the Saber?"

"But, more importantly, it's a Sentient power source." I said, continuing the explanation. "Sage needs the Mobi in order to stay alive. It's like life support."

"And it's here…somewhere." Stanford said, still looking around.

"How did you find it?" I asked, wondering how they could find a Mobi.

"You can thank Stanford here." Jay said as he explained. "He blasted Vert right into it."

"Found it!" Stanford said as we looked him banging on something with his fist.

I went over and felt it myself, recognizing the blue glow anywhere.

"It is a Mobi!" I said, amazed by this. "Way to go, Stanford!"

"Was there any doubt?" he proudly said.

"Looks like it's still cloaked." I said before explaining to the others. "Mobi's have a cloaking device to keep them hidden from enemies."

"We could use a cloaking device right about now." Spinner said. "Look!"

"The Vandals!" Jay said as we all saw the Vandals heading right for us.

"Can't fight!" Zoom said, failing to activate the Chopper's weapons. "We need repairs."

"Yeah, we all took a beating." I said, seeing he was right. "Element Gang, Battle Force 5, retreat!"

"What about the Mobi?" Basar asked, not wanting to leave it behind.

"We'll come back for it after repairs." I said to him.

"Axel's right." Vert said, agreeing with me. "We can't take the Mobi with the Vandals around or without our rides. Doubt worry. As long as the Mobi is cloaked, they'll never find it. So burn rubber for the portal!"

With that we all drove off towards the portal with the Vandals following behind.

**Kaze's view**

We had made it to where the Element Gang was and were chasing them down until…

"Kaze, wait!" Kalus said to me, making me stop while the others went on after the rats.

"But the Battle Key…" I said, confused by this.

"Yes, but we will still have a prize." Kalus said as he looked back at where those rats were. "I believe I found something even better."

We then drove over and I was shocked to see it.

"A Mobius Command Center?" I asked him as the cloak of this vehicle was beginning to fade.

"Exactly." Kalus said before using his comm unit. "Vandals, fall back and regroup!"

"But they have the Battle Key." Sever said over the comm.

"There will be more Battle Keys," Kalus said as we looked towards the Mobius Command Center, "but I have found something quite rare."

* * *

**Axel's view**

After escaping the Vandals, we made it to the portal and back to Earth.

"Job's not done until you lock these things up." I said before I then closed the portal, the Battle Key coming to my hand. I then used my communicator to contact Sage, her hologram appearing on my arm. "Sage, we're back and we got some Mobi-sized news."

* * *

After that, we made it back to HQ and explained to Sage about the Mobi we found. After that, we got to work on repairs on our vehicles.

"The Buster sure can take a beating." Sherm said as he was finished repairing the Buster.

"Well, how about the Chopper?" Zoom said, already done with repairing the Chopper. "Me and this baby took on an army of Zurk!"

"Because I helped you." Trustin said to his little brother. "You're welcome, by the way."

"Hey, guys!" Agura said to them as she was done fixing up the Tangler. "I wouldn't be too proud of your dents. Our newbie battle chops, we were lucky to get out."

"But you did acquire the Battle Key," Sage said to us as she walked in, not looking so good, "and locating a Mobius Command Center was an extraordinary accomplishment."

"Just my usual dazzling display of sonic marksmanship, daredevil driving, and…" Stanford said with a chuckle, popping out from underneath the Reverb.

"Blind luck?" Agura said to him with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey, at least I was trying to help what's-his-name fight Zemerik." He said to her.

"Yeah, but you've should've acknowledged your teammates before rushing out like that." I said, reminding Stanford of the incident. "Your reckless actions nearly put Vert's life at risk."

"Hey, he was just trying to help." Mari said, defending her boyfriend.

"I know he was, but we can't risk any slip ups right now." I said before getting on track of what we need to do. "Especially now there's another Mobi for Sage."

"We need to get that Mobi back." Vert said, thinking the same thing.

"Its technology could provide our enemies with an enormous strategic advantage." Sage said, looking like she was about to faint as her body began to fade.

"Take it easy, Sage." Basar said as he helped support her.

"What's wrong with her?" Zoom asked.

"She's losing energy." Trustin answered him. "If she doesn't get recharged soon, she won't make it."

"The Mobi is Sage's only power source." I said, explaining to the team. "We need to get back to the Battle Zone and fast."

"Great!" Spinner complained. "'Spinner Gets Squished, Part 2'. Really don't like sequels."

"We don't have much of choice, Spin." Basar said to him. "If we don't get the Mobi, we'll lose Sage. Come on."

It was only a moment until Spinner sighed in defeat and said "Fine. Let's get going."

"Great." I said. "Then let's get that Mobi. Basar, you take Sage. Besides the Buster, your Rockwheeler is the toughest vehicle we have." Basar nodded to me before he then took Sage over to the Rockwheeler. "Stanford, you provide cover for him. Your sonic cannons have enough range to drive any enemies that come near him."

"What?! Me? Bodyguard for that muscle head?" Stanford said in shock, making Basar glare at him. "Why?"

"Because the Rockwheeler can only be able to execute close range attacks. Your sonic cannons are the perfect long range defense to protect him and Sage." I said to him. "Also, this will help you observe your surroundings and think more clearly of the situation. After that incident with Vert, it's clear to me that you to think before you act. Being royalty, you should understand that. If you got a complaint, take it with Vert, though I don't he's gonna change your situation after you blasted him."

It was only a moment before Stanford sighed in defeated and said "Fine. I'll be on guard."

"Good." I said before speaking to the team, who had finished the repairs on their vehicles. "Then let's get rolling. Element Gang, rev up and roll out!"

* * *

After that, we all went off to get to the where the portal was so I could use the Key to get us back to the Battle Zone it. No doubt Spinner and Stanford weren't much excited to get back to the Battle Zone.

"Nearing the portal site, Sage." Vert said over the comm.

"The Mobius Command Center had an encrypted ignition code." Sage said to us.

"What?" I said as I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "But you didn't put that in when you upgrade our vehicles."

"That is only because the Commander Center I used for the process was damaged." She said as she explained. "As such, its security protocol was offline and I was able to access it. In my weakened state, you will need the ignition code in order to gain access."

"Copy that and…huh?" Vert said, confused by this.

"She means a password," I said as I explained, "so nobody can start the engine without it."

"Correct." Sage said. "Ignition code, first prime numbers."

"Uh…" Vert said, trying to figure out what she meant.

"2, 3, 5, 7, and 11. Got it." Sherm said, telling Vert the right answer.

Thanks to Basar leaving his comm on, I was able to hear Sage groan from loss of energy.

"Entering hibernation mode to protect me," Sage said before she entered hibernation mode, "during portal crossing."

"Still not use to it." Basar said as he no doubt watched Sage enter hibernation mode.

"Now let's get in there, get that Mobi, and get out fast!" I said before I then opened up the portal.

* * *

After crossing the portal and closing it, we got a look around but didn't see any of the Sark or the Vandals.

"Guess it's just us." Zoom said as he saw no one else but us here in this Battle Zone.

"The Mobi should be the down there on that gear." Jay said as we looked to where we saw the Mobi.

"Great. Still cloaked." Spinner said as we all saw the cloak was still on. "Any ideas, little brother?"

"Stanford, can you echo-map this Battle Zone with a few sonar pings?" Sherm asked.

"Pings?" Stanford said to him. "I can do better than pings."

"Stanford, what are you…?" I asked before I got my answer with him blasting at the gear.

After a few hits, the Mobi appeared. Stanford did that to get rid of the cloak.

"Bull's eye!" Sherm said to Stanford over the comm. "you must have fried the cloaking circuits."

"Nice work, Stanford!" I said to him. "Now you're using your head."

"And even opened the garage door." Spinner said as we all saw that the back door was open.

"What?" I said, confused by this. "Spinner, I don't think that door was Stanford. The hull is as tight as a drum."

"What? You think somebody else opened it?" Basar asked me.

"Not sure." I said to him. "But something doesn't feel right."

"I'm gonna need to look around the Mobi to see if there's anything that can give us a clue on what's going on down there." I said before telling my team the orders. "Base, Trich, Mari, you three stay back here and guard Sage and the Key. Jay, Trust, we'll take a look around."

"Agura, Stanford, stay here and help Basar, Tricha, and Mari." Vert said to his team. "Sherman, Spinner, Zoom, let's help Axel and the others search."

With that, we split off with me, Trust, Vert, the brothers, Zoom, and Jay heading down to the Mobi while the others stayed behind to guard Sage and the Key.

"We better split up to cover more ground." I said after we got on to the gear.

"Good idea." Vert said to me. "You guys take a look around. We'll see what's going on in the Mobi."

"Got ya." I said to him. "Tell if you find anything."

With that, me, Trust, and Jay went to the front of the Mobi to take a look around.

"Boys, get your boarding passes." I heard Vert say as he and the others no doubt went into the Mobi. "Let's check it out."

When we got to the front, me and the guys began looking around to see if there's anything that could tell us why the door was open.

After a while, it seemed like we weren't finding anything until…

"Uh…guys?" Jay said as he got mine and Trust's attention. "You might want to look at this."

"What is it, Jay?" I asked Jay as me and Trust went over to him.

"Look." Jay said as he held up a handful of…

"Purple scales?" I said before I realized where these came from. "Oh, no."

* * *

**Vert's view**

After we got into the Mobi, my bad feeling got a whole lot worse with the creepy vibe of this place.

"Let's get to the control room." I said after we parked and we were gonna get to the controls until…

"Vert, come in!" I heard Axel's voice on the comm. "Vert, can you hear me?"

"What is it, Axel?" I asked him as I used my comm. "Did you find anything?"

"Vert, listen, you need to get out of there!" he said to me.

"What? Why?" I asked him, confused by what he meant.

"Vert, I was right." He said to me. "The Mobi isn't safe."

"What?" I asked him.

* * *

**Axel's view**

"We just got done searching and I figured out what opened the door." I said to Vert as I explained through the comm. "The door was pried open from the outside!"

"What?" Vert said to me in shock. "What could break into anything like this? I thought you said this place was tight as a drum!"

"It is, but not when it comes to super strength." I said to him.

"Axel, what are you talking about?" Vert asked me.

"Vert…we found scales lying around this gear." I said to him.

* * *

**Vert's view**

"Purple scales." Axel said to me, actually sounding scared, and I was shocked as there was only person I know who had those scales. "They're here! The Mobi's trap!"

Just when he said it, we looked and saw Krocomodo and Hatch land right behind us, making Spinner to scream. Zoom tried to kick Krocomodo, but that alligator just swat him away. We then watched as two more joined the party, but it wasn't more Vandals. Instead, it was these two girls dressed in some animal cloth dresses with some bone accessories. One of them had long, black, messed up hair and a crazy smile, while the other had long, blonde hair that covered her right eye, looking like a goth with that gloomy face of hers. Though I got to say, these girls actually looked hot.

"Uh…hi?" Spinner said to the girls before the black haired one turned her head at him. "You girls…come here often?"

She then held up her hand like she gonna slap him until I saw some purple winds swirling around it. Then, just with one swipe of her arm, she pushed both the brothers into the wall with a gust of wind. I then looked at the other one and saw she had purple lightning coming off her body.

"Those aren't girls!" Zoom said as the girl looked at him. "It's those Dark Gang chicks!"

Then, just like she was pushing him, that goth chick shot lightning at him. With my team knocked out, I got ready to fight.

"Looks like you're the only one left, pretty boy." The wind chick said as she and the goth girl looked at me, winding blowing around her.

"I don't usually fight girls." I said to them. "But, seeing how you two are criminals, I can make an exception."

"Doesn't really matter to us." The goth chick said, talking like a goth. "You can't beat both of us."

"Oh, yeah? Not even of I do…this!" I said as I then went at them.

I tried to land a hit on them, but they both dodged it and that wind chick knocked me into a wall. I looked at them as they walked over to me.

"Hey, you know, the whole Vandal look does suit you girls." I said, trying to see if I could talk my way out.

"Oh, why thank you." The wind chick said to me. "They say animal prints are so out, but I say it's the new black. Hearing you say that and those good looks is sad we have to get rid of you." She then looked to her friend. "Berthona?"

"Light's out." The goth chick said, her hand covered in lightning before she slammed it on my chest.

* * *

**Axel's view**

"Vert, come in!" I said as I used my comm, only receiving static. "Vert, can you read me? You need to get out of there! The Vandals are here!"

"Uh, Axe?" Trust said to me.

"What?" I said as I then turned around and was shocked by what he was seeing.

It appeared that while I was trying to contact Vert,

"Kalus! Kaze!" I said as we were surrounded by Kalus along with most of the Dark Gang, Kaze and Kalus' vehicles nearby. "I should've known when I saw that opened Mobi, it had to be the Vandals behind it!"

"It seems it all comes to end here, sub-creature." Kalus said to me.

"You must be choking on hairballs if you think that, fur face!" Jay said to him

"Yeah, we can take you guys on with one arm tied behind our backs." Trust said.

"They're right, Kalus. We've seen all your tricks." I said to him.

"Oh, but that is where you're wrong." Kalus said to us with a smug, taking his crossbow off and pulling out a remote. "As you say, I have one more trick up my sleeve."

Just like that, he pressed the button and something shot out of his chariot. Kalus put the remote away and put his arm out in front of him, hands open. Then that thing that shot out of his chariot turned out to be gauntlets that flew down to him and placed themselves on him. After they were completely on, Kalus closed his hands as he crossed them in an 'X' in front of him. He roared out as he broke it, the fingertips of those gauntlets protruding long, green glowing claws.

"Are those…" I said in shock, recognizing that green glow anywhere. "Vengestone claws?"

"Like them?" Kalus smugly said to me. "Just another one of those…upgrades Kaze has provided to me and my Vandals. I decided to name them my Slayer Claws."

"Seriously?" Jay said, exasperated by all of this. "How many Vengestone upgrades do they have?"

"Tons." Kaze said to us. "Turns out Vandal is rich in Vengestone. They have more than what they can do with it."

"When Kaze told me of its power, I decided to make that power my own." Kalus said to us before he went into stance. "So…shall we test your might against my new power?"

"Bring it, Kalus!" I said as me and the guys then went into stance.

Within a moment, our battle against these five began. Though, for a brief moment, it seemed like we were able to handle them with each of using our powers, but things went awry pretty quick. With the strength of those four Dark Gang elementals and Kalus' new claws, they managed to overpower us. Kalus managed to knock us down with just a few slashes of his claws.

* * *

When I woke up, I was in the Mobi. When I tried to rub my head, I found out that I was in stocks. I looked around and saw the others were in stocks too, well Vert, Trust, and Jay were. Spinner, Sherman, and Zoom were being held down by the mechanical arms of the Mobi. Seeing how they were trying to get out. I tried to get out of the stocks, but couldn't break them.

"Don't bother." Kaze said as he and Kalus came over to me. "Those stocks are embedded with Vengestone."

"When we return to Vandal with the Mobi, we will be the most powerful force in the multiverse!" Kalus said to me.

"You won't get away with this!" I said to them.

"Oh, yeah?" Kaze said to me. "Who's gonna stop us? Your friends? They'll be crushed once we gets this Mobi online."

As he and Kalus walked away, I tried to see if I could use any other ability to move, but I found out that they also put a tail cage on my tail, so I couldn't use my spikes. My hands were out of the question along with my fire breath. My wings won't be much use as they could knock me down easily. Then I realized they didn't cover my mouth. My teeth wouldn't work in this situation, but my tongue would be able to help. When they weren't looking I used my tongue to reach over to my communicator. After managing that, I then turned my wrist around and began using my tongue on it. Good thing it was saliva proof. After that, I managed to find and activate the distress beacon on it. With the job done, I retracted my tongue with the Vandals none the wiser with the silent transmitter signal.

* * *

**Basar's view**

Back with me, Stanford, and the girls, we were still waiting for Axel and the guys to come back, but they didn't come back yet.

"I'm getting a bad feeling about this." Agura said, feeling as worried as I was. "They've been gone a long time."

"And I'm getting a bad feeling in my stomach." Stanford said. "All this waiting around is making me hungry."

When I heard some tapping, I looked over and saw Mari on the Reverb's roof.

"Hello?" Stanford said after he rolled down his window.

Just when he did, Mari tossed a bag into the Reverb before flying right back to the Storm Glider.

"What the…?" Stanford said as he rolled up his window. "Popcorn?"

"Don't worry, Stanfy." Mari said on the comm. "I came prepared."

"Well, thanks, love." Stanford said as I soon began hearing those two eat.

I rolled my eyes knowing Mari would be the one to bring snacks on a mission. I then heard a beeping and decided to see what it was.

"What's that?" Agura asked as she and the others were getting the same thing.

"It's Axel's distress beacon!" I said as I found out what it was. "Axel wouldn't set it off unless…"

"He's in trouble!" Agura said, getting the idea. "Come on, let's go!"

* * *

**Axel's view**

A while after I set off the beacon, Kalus came around with Hatch and Kaze.

"Kaze." Kalus said to them.

"Yes, Captain?" Kaze said to him as he and Hatch looked at him.

"What do you think we should do with our prisoners?" Kalus asked.

"Not sure." Kaze said to him. "Never got this far in beating them." He then looked to Hatch. "What do you think, Hatch?"

"I have a few ideas." The roach said as he chuckled.

"I don't like the sound of that." Jay said, just as worried as the rest of us as Trust gulped.

* * *

**Basar's view**

When we got there, we saw that the Mobi's door was closed and there some certain creeps walking around it.

"Hold on, wasn't the door open a while ago?" Stanford asked, seeing the Mobi closed up.

"Yeah, and it didn't have them around." I said, pointing out the uninvited guests.

"The Dark Gang!" Mari said as she saw Colt, Soloman, Berth, Silvian, and Kura walking around.

"The Vandals must've broke into the Mobi." Trich said, figuring it out. "This whole thing was trap!"

"We need to get down there and save Axel and the others!" Agura said.

"But how?" Stanford said. "We can't face the five of them by ourselves and if the Vandals get the Key, Earth is toast."

"Stanford's right. Even without their vehicles, those five can still trash us." I said before I then decided get some help from Sage. "Sage, wake up! I know this isn't the best time, but we need your help."

With that, I put Sage back on the seat and she got out of her cube. Hope she could help.

* * *

**Axel's view**

Back with us, I watched as Kaze tried to hack into the Mobi as Kalus watched him, but he was having more trouble than even that Vandal would.

"Grrr! Darn Sentient tech!" Kaze growled as he gave up. "I can't hack it!"

"What?" Kalus said, scowling at him.

"The encryption's too thick." He said to him. "It'll take me 2 years just to figure out how to crack the system. The only way I can get in fast enough is if I have the access code. Without it, this vehicle is useless!"

"Sounds like somebody didn't pass computer class." Vert said, finding Kaze's frustration amusing.

"Speak to me with that sharp tongue again and you'll lose it!" Kaze said to Vert.

"Kaze, quit your squabbling with the sub-creatures and activate the Mobi!" Kalus said to him.

"But, sir, I…" Kaze said to him before Kalus growled at him, actually scaring the Dargon. "Yes, Captain Kalus."

As Kaze went back to trying to hack into the Mobi.

_Vert, don't tick him off._ I said to my fellow leader, using my telepathy to talk to him so neither Kaze or Kalus could hear us. _If you haven't noticed, we're pinned down and he can kill us if he wants._

"Whoa, Axel! Did you just…?" Vert said as he was shocked by my telepathy, where I realized he's never seen me use my telepathy before.

"Shh!" I shushed him as he getting Kalus' attention.

After a moment, Kalus shrugged it off and began watching Kaze trying to hack.

_Vert, don't say anything like that._ I said to him. _We can't let the Vandals know. This is the only way we can talk to each other without him hearing._

_So wait, you could read people's minds this whole time?_ Vert said through his thoughts. _That is so cool!_

_Well, not exactly._ I said to him. _I can't really read minds. For that, I have to make physical contact with my metalbending, meaning my tail spikes. What I'm doing now is telepathy and I can only use with a person who's at least 10 feet near me also…they have to be people I trust._

_Okay. Whoa._ Vert said to me. _This Element Gang stuff is really complicated._

_You'll get used to it. _I said to him. _Though I suggested you try to keep quiet. We can't let them know we have the code._

"Wait a minute." Kaze said as he stopped hacking and looked at us, speaking to Kalus. "They have a Sentient. Which means they have the code!"

With this, the two then came right down to us.

"Give us to the access code!" Kaze said to me.

"I don't have any code." I said to him, lying to get him to quit. "Even if I did, I wouldn't give it to the likes of you."

"Oh, I think you'll give me the code." Kaze said to me before he then took out a radio. "Hatch…bring me the patch."

A moment later, Hatch came in carrying two silver case.

"The patch as you require, master Kaze." Hatch said as he held the two cases in his claws.

Kaze opened the cases and I saw what was inside them: in one of them was a black, metal helmet with a long, black cable coming out the back of it and a black, metal headband with a plug in the back.

"What is that?" Vert asked as Kaze put on the helmet. "Some of your old headgear?"

"This isn't headgear, simpleton." Kaze said as he held the end of the cable, which was a lock-in plug. "This is one of my greatest inventions: the Neural Psychic Patch, the gateway into a person's mind. It's used for interrogation and information gathering. Others can use it only when the subject they choose is sedated. But, seeing how we're short on time, I won't be doing that. You see, because I created it, only I can use it…on a waking mind."

"Go ahead and try it! You won't break me, Trust, or Jay!" I said to him. "We got stronger from last time!"

Kaze laughed before he said "Oh, simple Axel. What made you think I would use it on you or your teammates?"

That's what got me confused. If he wasn't gonna use it on us, then why bring the patch at all?

"I know you three are stronger now. Mental exercises do help." He said as he then went to stand in front of Vert. "But that doesn't mean it'll be the same with the rest of your friends." As he kept on talking, Hatch took the headband out of its case, gently put the case down, and walked over to Kaze with the headband. "You see, it's easy for others to travel through a subconscious mind for it's open to anything while a waking mind is more…stubborn. Though a stubborn mind is no match…for the one who opened that door." He then began speaking to Vert. "Usually, I use my telepathy to gain the knowledge for the chance I might gain an ally. But, seeing how you all are…I'm going with the method…that's more fun. The waking mind can only be able to handle a single person's thoughts. Another being in there at the same time strains it. With an elemental, the patch used on their waking mind only weakens them. But, on a normal being like yourself… Well, let's just say only a few make it through the process." He then began explaining the functions of the two pieces. "The helm I'm wearing is for the user to traveling into another's mind. The band…" Just as he said that, Hatch went ahead and placed the headband on Vert, "is to open that mind. If I can't get the code from you, I'll get it from your human friends."

I was absolutely horrified. He was gonna use the patch and Vert and his team? There was no way they would survive from the process. A normal person's mind would break from it.

"Now that we have your attention," Kalus said to me, "unlock the vehicle or your friends will pay with their lives."

Seeing the horrified looks on their faces, I saw I didn't have much of a choice.

"Okay, I'll do it." I said to them in defeat.

* * *

**Basar's view**

Back with us, we all got out of our vehicles and tried to see if Sage could tell us how to save the others.

"Oh, man!" I said as Sage showed us what was going on in the Mobi. "Kaze and the Vandals are all over the pace."

"And with those elemental sentries out there, we'll never get in to help the guys." Stanford said before Sage got rid of the image and leaned on the Reverb.

"Must return to Mobi." Sage said as she began to fade. "If I don't recharge soon…my operating system will… Ugh!" She leaned more on the Reverb as she kept getting weaker. "…cease to function."

"But the Vandals control the Mobi." Mari said to her.

"Since I'm the last expert in the workings of the Mobius Command Center…" Sage said. "Kalus will eagerly trade his hostages…for me."

"Sage, you can't do that." Agura said to her.

"Agura is right." Trich said to Sage. "You'll be in the hands of your mortal enemy."

"I am doomed either way." She said to us. "At least this way, the Element Gang and Battle Force 5 will live… to fight and protect Earth."

"There's got to be another way." I said as we all tried to come up with a different idea to get the Mobi back and the save the guys.

* * *

**Axel's view**

Back with us, the guys watched as I typed on the holo-computer with Kalus watching me. I used my telepathy to talk to them so Kaze didn't hear. Unfortunately, I could only talk to them one at a time as they were too far from me to make a whole network there. And this Vengestone didn't really help either.

_Great job of stalling, Axel._ Zoom said, impressed by Axel.

_Thanks._ I said to Zoom as I kept on typing in random codes.

_Do you guys have a plan?_ Jay asked, talking about me and Vert.

_We'll get out of this I promise. _I said to him. _Just hang in there._

"Useless sub-creature!" Kalus angrily said to me. "Why isn't the Mobius moving?"

"Calm down, Kalus." I said to him, coming up with an excuse. "I'm from Earth, if you haven't noticed, and not a Sentient. Their computers don't come with tech assistance you know."

That little jibe got a chuckle out of the others. Really proud of that one myself.

"Shut it or I'll make you food my Imp Dogs back in Vandal!" Kaze said, making them all stop laughing.

A moment later, Sage's voice came on the comm unit of the Mobi and said "Captain Kalus, this is Sage."

"Speak your business, Sentient." Kalus said, speaking to Sage.

"Free the Earthlings and, in return, I offer myself and my vast technical knowledge." She said, shocking me and the guys.

"What?!" I said.

"No, Sage! You can't sacrifice yourself!" Vert said, just as worried as I was about Sage.

Kalus thought for a moment until he then went over to me, put my hand back into the stock, and said "Hatch, Kaze, watch the prisoners!"

"Yes, Captain." Kaze said as Kalus walked out to get Sage.

* * *

**Basar's view**

Back with us, we were behind Sage, waiting for the Kalus when he finally showed up along with Krocomodo, Sever, and the crooks that were outside the Mobi.

"That's close enough, Kalus!" Agura said, crushing some of the ground with the Tangler's claw. "Now release our friends."

"Wait, where are our friends?" I said as I saw Axel and the others weren't with them right before Kalus pulled out a whip and snatched Sage away from us.

"No!" Agura said as Colt held Sage over his shoulder as he stood in the Chariot with Kalus.

"Seriously?" Soloman said to us. "Do you really think we would actually give back your precious leader just like that?" he snapped his fingers for effect.

"Negotiations have taken a new…twist." Kalus said before he and his Vandals drove off.

We were about to go after him until Sever, Krocomodo, and those Dark Gang punks blocked us, the punks transforming into their elemental forms to hit harder.

"Wait!" Tristone said as he started counting us. "There's only three of them. There should be five."

"Must be hiding around for a sneak attack." DarkPunchette said.

"Then what? Don't move?" DarkFang said, being sarcastic.

"Seems like the best option in this case." DarkBlaster said in that creepy voice of hers. *Ugh!*

"I say we tear all these losers apart now and go after the pansies later!" DarkRang said.

"I'm agree! Let us destroy these sub-creatures!" Sever said.

Though we were blocked, I knew Agura and Stanford were smiling with me as our plan was in motion. Now all we had to do was keep these guys busy. Krocomodo and Sever were ready to fight once they got their blades out.

"Let's give those teeth a cleaning!" Stanford said as he shot Sever with his sonic cannons, knocking the shark's car into DarkRang and pinning it in a gear.

Krocomodo tried to charge at Agura, but she lift the Tangler up and got that gator stuck in the middle before she slammed him into the ground. Tristone, DarkFang, DarkPunchette, and DarkBlaster tried to blast me, but Stanford countered it with a sonic blast. That actually shocked all of us.

"Wow!" I said, amazed by all this. "This Sentient tech rocks!"

"Uh-oh." The four said as we looked at them.

With the three of us working together, we managed to get them out of the way. With that, we drove off to get to the Mobi. Definitely gonna take those bozos a while before they catch up to us.

* * *

**Axel's view**

Back at the Mobi, I was still trying to stall Hatch and Kaze by randomly putting in codes. Hatch freed my hand so I could keep doing with him watching me and Kaze ready to fry my friends' brains if I tried anything. With becoming bored with waiting for either the Mobi to activate or Kalus to come back, I was wait for Hatch to look away so I could if I could access any other functions of the Mobi. Didn't seem I would get it until…

"Hatch! Kaze!" Kalus' voice came from a communicator.

"Captain Kalus!" Hatch said as he then looked to the communicator, which I had to bet was from his vehicle.

With him distracted, I then tried to use my tongue to see if there was anything I could use to help me and the guys. Good thing I got some practice using it like a finger for so many years. With this,

"I have the prisoner!" Kalus said as I managed to surveillance feed and saw Tricha and Mari right outside the bay doors. "Prepare to open the bay doors!"

I saw what they were doing. Basar, Agura, and Stanford would have Sage lure out Kalus and most of the Vandals out, letting Tricha and Mari to get to the Mobi and sneak in once Kalus came back. Well, they weren't gonna have to wait long for the door to open. With this, I put my tongue away and was ready to put in the code.

"Yes, Captain." Hatch said in compliance.

"Hatch." Kaze said, making that roach look at him. "I just realized something and I can't believe the question got past me. Where are the muzzle for the rat and his cold breathing friend here? The ones I told you to put on them when they were out cold?"

"Um… Uh…" As Hatch tried to come up with an excuse, I then put in a code and activated the Mobi.

"Hey, roach boy!" I said as Hatch turned to me and kicked him right back down to the main floor, getting him stuck in his vehicle like a turtle on his back.

The guys laughed as Kaze growled and glared at me.

"Why you little rat!" Kaze said to me, not noticing Vert sneaking over to the button for the mechanical arms. "I'm gonna…"

Before he could even move, Vert hit the button and released the guys. Zoom then went over and attack Kaze while Sherman and Spinner worked on freeing the others. While they did that, I got to work on the bay doors. While I did, Vert, Trust, and Jay joined in and fought Kaze with Zoom as each of them was set loose from their stocks.

"Okay, that's it." Kaze said as he used his tail to get Hatch out of his vehicle and have him join the fight. "Now I'm mad! I'm gonna rip you all limb from limb!"

"Oh, I would rethink that." I said as I stood at the switch for the bay doors and push it to open them.

He and Hatch were ready to attack us until they both got tapped on the shoulder and turned to get a shock from Mari as she vaulted over them and gust from Tricha as she pushed passed the two. Though those attacks were strong enough to knock them out, it did provide a great distraction for the to free from my stocks and for me to take Hatch's Scarab and toss it right at them, knocking them both out of the Mobi. I then closed the bay doors as my teammates cheered.

"I'll get up to the controls and get this thing moving before bug breath and Kaze wake up." I said as I then used my super speed to get over to the controls and I got this thing rolling.

* * *

**Kaze's view**

By the time I woke up and got the Scarab off me, I saw the Mobi driving away. I tried to go after them, but they were already gone. I can't believe I fell for their trick! I then grabbed my radio and contacted Kalus.

"Captain Kalus? This is Kaze." I said. "Bad news. The Element Gang took the Mobi!"

"What?" Kalus said over the radio. "Vandals, retreat to the portal! They might have the Mobi and the Key, the Sentient is coming back to Vandal with us."

With this, I decided to wake hatch up so we could get out of this Battle Zone and back to Vandal.

* * *

**Axel's view**

After managing to escape with the Mobi, I used its comm unit to contact Basar and the others.

"Basar, Agura, Stanford, where's Sage?" I asked.

"Kalus haves her!" Agura said.

"Yeah, and it looks like he's heading back to Vandal!" Basar said.

"Man, we'll never be able to catch them at this rate." I said.

"Axel, I've got an idea!" Vert said over the comm. "Parked the Mobi and head down here. Make sure it's facing the Vandal portal."

"Why?" I asked.

"Just do it." He said and I parked the Mobi, facing it towards the Vandal side of the Battle Zone.

* * *

After that, I went down to lower levels to see what Vert had in mind.

"Okay, so what's the plan?" I asked.

"Sherm, tell him." Vert said to the younger Cortez brother.

"We discover that the Mobi is built with an accelerator we can use to send our across far distances at high velocity." Sherm explained.

"We can use the accelerator to save Sage." Vert said to me.

I thought about it for a moment and said "It could work. Okay, what do we need to do?"

"Spinner, fire up the Mobi's Vehicle Accelerator!" Vert said as he gave the orders to his team. "Sherman, figure out the calculations to fire the Saber, the Fire Cycle, and the Chopper together! Axel, Zoom, gear up! You're about to do zero to 60 in no time flat!"

After we were all set up, we opened up the bay doors and me and Vert got ourselves loaded into the Vehicle Accelerator, ready to head towards the Vandals.

"Okay, Vert." Sherman said as he explained the calculations. "I've seduced the vehicles' weight and distance to calculate the acceleration. You'll hit your target."

"Ready to fire when you are, Vert!" Spinner said.

"Zoom, time to live up to your name." Vert said. "Axel, you ready?"

"Let's do this!" I said to him.

"Hit it, Spinner!" Vert said before the three of us were shot right out of the Mobi.

Just like that, we were able to surround Kalus, blocking him from the Vandal portal. In that moment, Vert drove right at him, flipping over the Saber, and then ramming Kalus' chariot to send it into the air, knocking Sage into the air as well. This allowed Zoom to move in and catch her before she fell to the ground.

"Got her!" Zoom said as he held onto her.

"Let's get Sage back to the Mobi!" Vert said and Zoom got rolling.

Before I could though, I saw that Kalus was still going. Couldn't let him follow us, so I decided to get this guy to take a hint. I activated the Fire Cycle's blade and drove right at him as he was roaring. With that, I got the blade jammed into his chariot.

"Oh, no, you don't!" I said before I grabbed him by the tail, got some power into my toss and then sent him straight back into the Vandal portal.

With him gone and hitching the chariot to the Fire Cycle, I decided to head back to meet up with everyone back at the Mobi. Why did I take the chariot with me? Well, you'll find out.

Once I got there, I was just in time to see Sage get recharged. She pressed some controls on her arm. With that, an energy bubble as big as her formed above her and lower itself to her, placing her inside. After it floated to a few feet off the ground, Sage went into a mediation stance as electricity filled the bubble, a sign she was getting her strength back. With this, I took the helm and got ready to drive the Mobi back to Earth.

"Element Gang, rev up and roll out!" I said to my team.

"Battle Force 5, move out!" Vert said to his team.

With this, we all got moving back to Earth.

"Just like the old days, huh, Agura?" I said to her over the comm, this whole day reminding of our high school years.

"Yeah, just like old days." She said to me, no doubt smiling from the memories.

"Can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually missed doing all this." Stanford said.

**Kaze's view**

As we managed to get over one last track, me and my Dark Gang saw those rats and the Mobi going by.

"They aren't getting away that easily." I said and we all then jumped off the track and grabbed onto the Mobi, hitching a ride to Earth.

* * *

**Axel's view**

After getting through the portal, I managed to get another surveillance feed and saw the Dark Gang hitchhiked on the Mobi.

"Really hate hitchhikers." I said as I then turned the Mobi around and began drive towards Agura as she closed the portal.

Before they get inside, I managed to get far enough, so, when I stopped, the force from the brakes knocked them all off. With this, me and the team met up at the bay doors to deal with the Dark Gang.

"Looks like someone didn't clear customs." Stanford said as he and the others came over to surround the Dark Gang.

"What the…?" Kaze said as he and the Dark Gang (who apparently returned to their normal forms) got up, him seeing Agura and Stanford with us. "You're those rats from before!"

"Yep. All grown up." Agura said to before cracking her knuckles. "And it's payback time."

"Hold up, Agura." I said to her as I stopped her. "We got this. You and Battle Force 5 just hang back and enjoy the show."

"Oh, they won't be left out of the fun." Kaze said as he then pulled a cubic orb and then tossed into the air, bringing out an army of robots we haven't seen in a long time.

"Darkbots!" I said as I saw them.

"That's right!" Kaze said as he laughed. "Let's see how your friends do against all 100 of my Darkbots! Ha-ha-ha!"

"Only 100? Is that all?" Vert said as he stepped up, wielding his sword from the Saber. "I've dealt with robots before pal. We all have"

"Only in your vehicles." Kaze said to him. "Most of you might have experience in fighting, but the rest of you still young cubs in the jungle. These robots have been programed with all fighting styles, including ones from Vandal."

"So what?" Vert said. "It doesn't mean we're gonna back down." As he kept on talking, the rest of his team began to step up one by one. "This planet is our home and we're gonna let creeps like you destroy it. No matter what, we'll keep this world safe for we are…the Battle Force 5!"

"Vert." I said, amazed by his courage along with inspiring the others to stand alongside him.

"Blech! You sound just like that rat." Kaze said in disgust. "Why resist? You know you can't beat us. We'll just crush you like the bugs you are"

"Like to see you try!" I said, getting his attention. "It doesn't matter what you put against us, we will defeat you! We will protect this world no matter the cost! We'll fight to our last breath! For our friends! Our families! Our home! No matter what evil we face, we will rise up to the challenge! That's the way of the Element Gang!"

"I'll make sure I'll engrave that on your tomb stones!" Kaze said as he and his Dark Gang transformed into their elemental forms.

With that, me and the gang then transformed too. We all took stance as we were ready to fight.

"Call it." Vert said to me.

"Element Gang, let the elements strike!" I said as we all charged at the Dark Gang and their Darkbots.

"Dark Gang, attack!" Dargon yelled as he and his minions charged at us.

It was truly epic battle, both Element Gang and Battle Force 5 side-by-side in hand-to-hand combat. Though it seemed like we were outmatch by the sight, but we were actually winning. All 11 of us working together, helping each other, all to protect our world. Thanks to Battle Force 5, we were able to defeat all the Darkbots and overpower the Dark Gang. All that was left was to finish them off. And there was only way to do it as we saw the Dark Gang getting ready to do the same.

"Ready, guys?" I said to my team and they all gave their agreement. "Then let's do it!" I then fired my element stream. "Fire!"

"Earth!" Apolloid said, firing his element stream.

"Water!" Posidacus said, firing his element stream.

"Air!" Torna said, firing her element stream.

"Lightning!" ShockBlaster said, firing her element stream.

The Dark Gang fired their element streams all at once. Both lines of streams went through the same process, the six streams crossing into each other into on stream. This was a technique called the Element Blast which requires the power of all six elementals from either side. With the Dark Gang Element Blast, it become shaded in dark mist and violently pulsing with purple light. With the Element Gang Element Blast, it becomes as bright as a star in the night with white and golden light. As the two blast collided, me and the Element Gang tried to overpower the Dark Gang and vice versa. The Dark Gang tried to increase the power of their blast, but me and the Element Gang managed to overpower them and defeat them, the blast hitting them and causing a huge explosion. When the smoke cleared, we found the Dark Gang knocked out, singed, in their normal forms.

"Come on, guys." I said as we looked down at them. "Let's send them back where they belong."

With that, I got Kalus' chariot, place the Dark Gang in it, and then set it into the Vehicle Accelerator. Sherm did the calculations and it fit with the result, Spinner had the Accelerator already to go, and Agura had the portal ready. All that and Sage got her energy back. After she recharged, I had her record what she wanted to say to Kalus on a holodisk. Just in time for the Dark Gang began to wake up.

"Hey, Kaze." I said as the Dargon looked at me before I gave him the holodisk. "Give this to Kalus when you see him."

With that, Vert activated the Accelerator and it shot the Dark Gang straight into the portal. After that, Agura then closed up the portal.

* * *

**Kaze's view**

Whatever they used on us shot us through the zone and sent us all the way back to Vandal. There, I was met by Kalus.

"Kaze, where have you been?" Kalus angrily said to me.

"Got a message for ya." I weakly said to him as I showed him the holodisk.

He took it and activated it, showing the Sentient saying "Kalus, you may have thought victory was yours vanquished my people, but now you face the Element Gang and the Battle Force 5."

"Battle Force 5, eh?" He said after the message ended. "They will fall along with the Element Gang."

With that, he then crushed the holodisk with his bare hand.

* * *

**Axel's view**

Back with us, we all went back to HQ to get the Mobi set up down there.

"Final score: good guys, 1. Bad guys, nada!" Spinner cheered out as we all met up in the main hub.

"Yeah!" Basar said. "Like a sudden-death-overtime-drop-your-popcorn playoff game!"

"And Vert, dude! You were awesome plus!" Zoom said to his leader.

"Thanks, but it was a total team victory, guys." Vert said.

"Yeah, we all win this." I said. "Especially with that rescue mission back there."

"You can thank my Stanfy for that." Mari said as she hung her arm over Stanford. "He was the one who came up with it all."

"Wow, Stanford." I said to him. "I never thought I'd see you make such a great plan of action."

"I guess you lot have rubbed off me a little." Stanford said. "Let's just hope that's just the first trophy of an undefeated season."

"Hope?" Sage asked in confusion. "On this mission, defeat is not an option. No matter how many times you are tested or how terrifying the test."

"And we're up for it." Vert said as his team gathered up.

"All of us." I said as my team gathered up. "Right, guys?"

"Yeah!" they all said.

"Let me hear it!" I said.

"Element Gang!" Me and my team chanted together.

"Battle Force 5!" BF5 said together.

Well that was one eventful day. The first time we've been with Battle Force 5 in a Battle Zone and we managed to get the Battle Key, get through a fight with the Vandals and Sark, get a Mobi, and win an epic battle against the Dark Gang and an army of Darkbots. I know it will be rough and our wills will be tested, but as long as we stick together, there is nothing we can't do. So, Vandals, Sark, come at us, because the Element Gang and the Battle Force 5 are ready for ya!


	4. Chapter 3: Common Cold War

**Chapter 3: Common Cold War**

**[Planet Sark]**

**Specter's view**

With the clashes of lightning from the storm, we waited on balcony as I called upon Pluto to present his latest project to our lord. When he finally arrived, we all saw he had this strange silver blob in his hands.

"My lord, behold my latest creation." Pluto said to Lord Zemerik as he present the blob to him. "As rare as it is powerful, phase metal!"

"Nice blob, but what exactly is so special about it?" I asked my great scientist.

"I concur." Lord Zemerik said to him. "Explain to me the reason for creating this."

"This is no ordinary blob." Pluto said as he explained. "It is a parasitic control virus."

"A living virus?" I asked him.

"Exactly." Pluto said as he looked to the nearby Zurk. "Observe. Zurk, self-terminate."

Thanks to his status in the Sark army, the Zurk complied with his orders and terminated itself, a scene that actually scared Zug.

"Bravo, Pluto." Zug said to him. "But Zurk mindless. They do whatever you say anyway."

"Zug actually has a point." I said to Pluto. "Our ranking amongst the Sark allows us to order the Zurk into whatever we want. How does making a mindless drone destroy itself prove anything about your invention?"

"That's exactly the point." He said as he walked over to Zug. "Zurk are mindless drones, having to do whatever their superiors tell them to do. But their own superiors have free will. Zug, as a fellow superior, you have free will, do you not?"

"Uh…yes?" Zug said, unsurely.

"So, if I order you to self-terminate, would you do that?" Pluto said, surprising all of us.

Hearing that, I couldn't help but find it humorous.

"Good one, Pluto." I said, laughing from what he had said. "Asking your own superior to terminate himself? That's funny."

"Actually, sir," Pluto said to me as he moved some distance away from Zug, "it was an actual question. One you have answered. Zug would not do anything I ask him to do because of his free will. But with this…" he then tossed his blob at Zug, where it then phased into his body, frightening Zug. "Now, observe." Pluto then walked up to Zug, a small smile on my scientist face. "Zug, self-terminate."

We all then watched as Zug began walking, going around Pluto and heading towards the cliff, a fall that would lead to complete termination if he reached past the end. Just as he about to go off the cliff…

"Halt!" Pluto said and Zug actually stopped. "Vetto, would you mind bringing Zug to me?"

With this, Vetto went over, grabbed Zug, and tossed him over to Pluto, leaving our superior on his back in front of Pluto. With this, lowered his hand to Zug's chest, palm up, and the blob then left Zug and returned to my scientist hand.

"As you can see, my phase metal can infect any machine we choose and bring it under our complete control." Pluto said as he stood up with the blob in his hand, presenting it to Lord Zemerik. "Does this please you, my lord?"

"Yes. Well done, Pluto." Lord Zemerik said as he took the blob. "With the phase metal, one of the Element Gang's vehicles will soon be mine, and then so will Earth!"

* * *

**[Earth]**

**Axel's view**

With me and the others, we were in the garage working on our vehicles. It had been a few weeks since our battle with the Dark Gang and we've been doing pretty good. Battle Force 5 had managed to master their vehicles and we managed to get some Battle Keys. Right now, we were trying to keep ourselves busy while waiting for Sherman and Spinner to come back with lunch. Well, most of us. Mari was trying to make herself last by eating some of the snacks she had. We would eat some of those snacks, but none of us could be able to stomach her snacking combinations over there. Yeah, I'm pretty sure Mari's got an iron stomach. We were willing to waiting for the pizza, though the brothers were definitely taking their time. I've been waiting so long, my stomach was growling like a dog.

"My stomach's louder than this fusion wrench." Vert said, working under the Saber. "Hey, where are those two with the pizza?"

"This is gonna be a working lunch, right?" Agura asked, working on the Tangler.

Vert laughed before he said "That's funny."

"She's not kidding, Vert." I said to him as I worked on my Fire Cycle. "Agura likes to keep herself busy."

"Yeah, that's one of the things she and Axel have in common." Basar said as he worked on his Rockwheeler. "They both need to be doing something or else they'd go insane."

"Man, you guys get weirder every day." Vert said as he got himself out from under his vehicle.

"Man, where is Sherm and Spinner? I'm pretty sure my stomach's eating itself right now." Jay said as he walked to us from his Wave Rider.

"Guys, patience is a virtue." Zoom said to us.

"Don't get all monk with me, little man." Jay said, pointing sternly at Zoom.

"Yeah, patience? Not one of mine." Vert said as he stood up.

We all heard a car coming and looked to see the Reverb coming in fast.

"Aah!" Jay yelled as he jumped out of the way of the Reverb, the car parking near Zoom and Trust.

"Lads back with luncheon yet?" Stanford said as he popped up from the Reverb sunroof. "I'm famished."

"Stanford! Watch where you're going!" Jay angrily said to him. "You drive the world's most teched-out, sound-making machine and you don't know to use the horn?"

"Beep, beep." Stanford sarcastically said, making Jay growl as he walked away.

"Oh, incoming za!" Zoom said as we heard the Buster coming in. "I call first slice!"

"Dang it." Trust said in defeat as the Buster parked in front of the Reverb.

"Here we go!" Spinner said as he got out of the Buster, followed by Sherman. "Pepperoni for the fire-breathing genius." I was actually licking my lips after he hand me the pizza I asked for. "Plain cheese for band of bland, that's you guys." Spinner was talking to the others as he handed them the three boxes of cheese pizza (one in case Mari ravages the other pizzas before the rest of get past the first slice) while he held the last box. "And jalapeno and fire sauce for the stomach of steel, that's me."

"Hey, Agura." I said to my bewitching huntress. "Does that remind you of…"

"Mississippi Queen Night?" We both said at the same time before we started laughing.

"What's 'Mississippi Queen Night'?" Zoom asked.

"Oh, it was during this one time we went to a party back in high school." Trust said to Zoom, explaining the story. "These two went up against a team called 'The Iron Guts', or 'F.E.', in an iron stomach challenge. They won after drinking some nasty drink called the Mississippi Queen. Though they went a little crazy because of it."

"What happened?" Zoom asked.

"Not really sure." Trust said to him as me and Agura stopped laughing and listened in on what he was saying. "We lost track of them when they ran out into the streets. Not sure what they did most of that night. All we know is, the next morning, we found out those two went into the old motel and…"

"Ah-tuh-tuh-tuh-tah!" I said, stopping him from telling that last part. "What happened that night, stays at that night."

I had to guess Trustin talking about that night caught Spinner's attention for I only just heard him sniff.

"Uh-oh." Spinner said as we looked to see the worry on his face as he opened the box before face-palming himself. "No! Cold pizzas a germ magnet!"

"Hey!" I said as he took the heat scanner out of my hands.

We were all a little weirded out as he used the scanner to scan his pizza. Yeah, turns out Spinner is a serious germophobe, meaning he was afraid of germs.

"Hm?" Spinner said as he was done scanning his pizza. "Whew! False alarm. Pie's still safe temp."

He gave the box to Sherm and was about to take a bite of his slice when Sherm sneezed and blew into the hanky Trich gave him. Yeah, Sherm caught something this morning and now his nose is all stuffed up.

"Sorry. Think I've got the cold." Sherm said before he sneezed again, right at the pizza Spinner was holding in front of him.

"Huh? Oh!" Spinner groaned out in disgust, throwing his pizza out of his hand. "Sneeze cheese pizza!"

We all watched as the pizza flew through the air, wondering where it was going to land. We were all shocked as it landed right in Agura's face.

"Grrr! Spinner!" Agura growled, her glare of anger causing Spinner to hide behind his little brother. "I'm gonna…"

"Easy, Agura." I said as I got in front of her, trying to calm her down. "Calm, Blue Ocean."

"Cut him some slack." Vert said to her. "You know how he is with germs."

"Yeah, he's a germophobe, remember?" I said to her. "Just let it go."

She just growled before walking away. There, I was actually getting worried.

"Geez, what's her problem?" Jay said to himself.

"Well, you guys haven't been making it easy for her lately." I said before reminding them of all the times each of them had done something to annoy her. "Like Mari and Stanford's deejay practice, Trustin and Zoom's martial arts training, and Basar's pranks. She might be used to living with a group as big as this, but our habits might be starting to get to her. I mean, she snapped at me last week for not being there for her from all that."

"Yeah." Trustin said, feeling ashamed from it. "We all aren't really the best roommates."

"Which is why I suggest we try our best to make her feel more at ease until she gets use to our antics." I said to them. "Now can you all try to do that for a little…" I wasn't even able to finish my sentence when I sensed a Stormshock and the alarm went off.

"Finally!" Basar said. "Another Stormshock!"

"Element Gang! Battle Force 5!" Sage said over the PA. "I'm sensing a Stormshock portal opening in t-minus 6 minutes."

"I sensed that too." I said as we all got to our vehicles and got ready to head out. "Time to get rolling. Element Gang, rev up and roll out!"

With that, we all drove out of the garage and off to catch the Stormshock.

"Portal will open in Quadrant 9, bearing 246." Sage said over the comm.

"Got it, Sage!" I said as I led the guys to the location, leaving my comm open to the others to make sure there wasn't any problems.

"Is that…the pizza that you sneezed on?" I heard Spinner say with worry in his voice.

"Not sure." Sherm said with his mouth full. "Found it on the floor."

I gagged with Spinner on that. Eating a mucus-covered floor pizza? That's just disgusting. Bleck!

"You know that's covered with germs, right?" Spinner said to him.

"Huh. Had a lug nut." Sherm said, disgusting me even more. "Save you for later."

"Gross, Sherm!" I said to him, using the comm. "I can hear you over the comm!"

"Yeah, not good to talk about filth around Mr. Clean Freak there." Basar said over the comm.

"Hey! There is nothing wrong with trying to keep tidy." I said, insult by the comment.

"Sage, anything in your memory that'll tell us what we're in for?" Vert asked.

"Incomplete Battle Zone data indicates…" Sage said over the comm, "a type of huge lifeform."

"Huge lifeform?" I said, not liking the sound of that.

"That could mean anything from the Loch Ness Monster," Stanford said over the comm. "or my old headmaster, Mr. Wigglebottom."

Me, Vert, and my team got a good laugh from that. Not just the joke, but also the name of his headmaster.

"Seriously?" I said, still laughing at the name. "Wigglebottom?"

"There was really a guy with that name?" Basar said, laughing just as much as I was.

"Actual name, I swear." Stanford said.

"Okay, Sage." I said as I pulled myself back together. "Can you be able to tell us where the Battle Key is in the Battle Zone?"

"Checking memory for Battle Key location coordinates." Sage said as we closed in on the Stormshock. "File empty. Sorry, team."

"Great. I love a mystery." Agura sarcastically said, not really liking the idea of not knowing where would be going.

As we were getting closer to the storm, I heard Sherm sneeze, a big one this time.

"Aaaah! Eewww!" Spinner said as I had no doubt Sherm sneeze back there, letting go of the steering wheel as I saw the Buster to go aimlessly around.

This apparently caused Spinner to accidently hit the weapons control and activate the Buster's maces as the Buster crashed into the Tangler, causing Agura to lose control as she swerved backwards.

"Agura!" I said as I then pulled back to make sure she was okay.

I watched as she managed to get back in control before she drove off to catch up to the other.

"Agura, are you okay?" I asked her as I drove beside her.

"I'm fine. Just fine." She said before she growled in anger. "Spinner. When I get my hands on him, I'm gonna…"

"Take it easy, Agura." I said to her, trying to help her calm down. "I'm sure he didn't mean it."

"Of course, you'd take his side." She said to me, now pointing her anger at me. "Just like with everyone else, but me."

"I'm not taking anyone's side." I said to her. "I'm just trying to help. You need to control that anger."

"I am in control." She said to me, a hint of anger in her voice. "I'm in control. But not happy."

I then watched as she then drove away from me. With a sigh, I knew that she was mad at me. I wish she understood what I was trying to do, especially with that anger of hers. With this, I then increased my speed so I wouldn't be left behind.

"It's storm-riding time!" Vert said over the comm as he and the others went off into the Stormshock, me and Agura going in after them.

* * *

**Vert's view**

After getting through the portal, I decided to get to the point, using the comm link.

"Okay, guys." I said to them. "You know the drill: find the Battle Key, lock down the Zone, and look good doing it."

Just after I said that, I heard something come through the portal and looked to see Axel and Agura. That was actually strange. They're usually right with us when we enter a Zone. What made them fall behind like that?

"Glad you two could join us." I said to them as the portal closed. "Axel, what happened to you and Agura?"

"Well, you see, Vert…" Axel said before Agura cut him off.

"Spinner happened, that's what!" Agura angrily said.

"Well, yeah." Axel said. "Spinner, Sherm, what happened back their? Why'd you two crash into Agura like that?"

"Oh!" Spinner said, nervously. "You see, Sherman sneezed and…"

"You freaked out, didn't you?" Axel asked, already guessing what happened.

"Uh…yeah." Spinner said.

"You say 'gesundheit'! You do not open fire on your teammate!" Agura said. "Unless you're trying to send me a hint."

"Agura, it was an accident!" Axel said to her.

"Yeah, an accident that nearly made me crash!" she said to him.

"Guys!" I said, getting them to all to stop fighting. "Same side, remember?"

"Vert's right. We can't argue right now." Axel said. "We'll deal with this back on Earth. Until then, let's just find the Battle Key and get out of here, okay?"

"Fine." Agura said, not really sounding like she was gonna let this go.

"Where exactly are we?" Jay said as I was wondering that too ʹcause it looked like some kind of cave. "This place reminds of that time I got swallowed by that giant sand maggot."

"Sherman, what do you got?" I asked our science expert.

"Whoa! Cool." Sherman said.

"What is it?" Axel asked.

"This place seems to be a symbiotic mixture of organic elements and metallic compounds." Sherman said.

"You mean, like a techno-organic?" Axel said. "Amazing."

"And for the non-geeks." Zoom said for the rest of us didn't get that.

"We're inside a giant creature." Sherman explained.

"Hence the aforementioned huge life-form." Stanford said as we all got that.

**Axel's view**

"Must be some kind of interdimensional creature." I said, absolutely fascinated by the very structure of this creature. "Part machine, part organic. Basically, we're a living Battle Zone. Literally."

"Whatever. It's a Battle Zone." Vert said before some kind of substance fell on the Buster from above.

"Grossest Battle Zone ever." Spinner said, disgusted by this.

"Yes, I have to agree." Tricha said, feeling just as disgust as him. "This is th e least sanitary place I've ever come across."

"Well, you two are gonna have to get used to being out of your comfort zone until we find the Battle Key." I said until I then heard this strange beating.

"Hey, anybody else feeling the beat in here?" Agura asked, wondering about the beat just like I was.

"If you're asking me to dance…" Stanford said, making an assumption Agura was making a request.

"Not in your life, Stanford." I said to him. "And Agura, I'm with you. I hear something too. It's echoing off the walls."

"Well, what is it?" Jay asked me, wanting me to figure it out with my super hearing.

"I listen again. Everybody be quiet." I said as I then started listening to the beating.

As I listened closer, I could hear its rhythm.

_Bum-bum._

_Bum-bum._

It was a steady one, a repeat of the same beat occurring a few seconds after the last one. The rhythm was familiar. Like I've heard it before.

"It sounds like…" I said as I continued to listen and that's when I figured it out. "A heartbeat."

"A heartbeat?" Trustin asked, surprised by that.

"Yeah, it's definitely a heartbeat." I answered him. "I recognize it anywhere."

"How do you know what a heartbeat sounds like?" Zoom asked me.

"Got some MIT training a few years back." I said. "If this is a creature, it would have a heart. Though I can't tell where it is. It's all over the place."

"Stanford, echo-map the source." Vert said over the comm.

"Echo-map, coming up." Stanford said as he used the Reverb's sonic to figure out where that sound was coming from.

It was two gentle pings, but they were able to echo through faster thanks to cavern-like inner workings of this creature.

"Lock in on the heart." Stanford said as he found out where the heart was. "And guess what's keeping it company."

"The Battle Key." Vert said, making the same realization I had.

"Of course." Jay said, not feeling so pleased about it. "The Battle Key's at the heart of whatever this thing is."

"Sending coordinates." Stanford said as we all got the coordinates of the heart.

"Got them." I said before talking to Trustin and Zoom. "Zoom, Trust, lead the way."

"Always." Zoom said to me.

"You got it." Trustin said as he and Zoom then drove off to lead us to the heart with the rest of us following behind.

* * *

**Specter's view**

After arriving in the Battle Zone, which was apparently this colossal techno-organic (more organic than technological if you ask me), we managed to find the Battle Key. It was on this creature's heart, which was on the ceiling above us. We had been trying to reach it for hours, but we haven't been able to get high enough to grab the Key. There was no supports or anything in the area for us to us to drive our vehicles to the heart.

"Status update." Lord Zemerik asked us after we sent another Zurk, who failed to reach the Key and crashed.

"Zurk still cannot get Battle Key, Lord Zemerik." Zug said to him.

"I'm sorry, my lord." I said to him. "Our vehicles are not the right specification to reach the Key. It is too steep of a climb towards the heart."

"Our vehicles might not be able to reach the Key, but I know a vehicle that could." Pluto said as he came up to us with Mars. "Mars?"

"One of the surveillance drones has discovered the Element Gang have arrived here in the Battle Zone." Mars said as he showed us images of the Element Gang and their allies.

"I believe it is time to put this to the test." Pluto said as he held up his blob.

"If you're thinking of taking Basar's Rockwheeler with your virus, you're a fool." I said to him. "The Element Gang would find out in an instant."

"I know, sir." Pluto said to me before Mars focused the feed on the ATV of the Element Gang's allies. "But the vehicle I chose is inconsequential to our plan. The Element Gang might be able to determine what has happened to one of their own, but not of their own allies. With this one's vehicles sharing the same capabilities of the Rockwheeler, it will prove useful in our present goal. With my phase metal, Earth will soon be ours, Lord Zemerik."

"Proceed with your plan, Pluto." Lord Zemerik said to him.

"Thank you, Lord Zemerik." Pluto said to him before he then went to his vehicle and drove off with some of Zurk.

* * *

**Trustin's view**

After a while of driving, me and Zoom stopped as something felt a little off around there.

"Sensing a weird vibe here." Zoom said after we stopped.

"Yeah, me too." I said, feeling like something wasn't right around here.

"Tell me we're not in this thing's digestive tract." Spinner said with worry.

I then heard some revving and looked over and saw some car coming our way.

"Whoa!" I yelled as those cars when over and past us.

**Axel's view**

When I got a good look at those vehicles, I saw it was Pluto along with some Zurk.

"It's Pluto!" I said as we drove towards the group of Sark. "Looks like the Sark got here before we did."

"Then let's send these tin cans back where they came from." Vert said as he drove forward, knocking away the leading Zurk while Pluto dodged him.

Stanford then activated the Reverb's sonic cannons and managed to blast at the rest of the Zurk, causing them and Pluto to crash, though this also caused the brothers to lose control and crash the Buster into some kind of swell on the creature.

"A giant zit." Sherman said before he chuckled. "Gross!"

Once again, I gagged with Spinner, right before the Buster put out one of its mace spike right as Agura was coming by. This actually tripped the Tangler and caused Agura to crash.

"Spinner, attack Pluto and the Zurk, not me!" Agura said after she crashed.

"Agura, calm down and focus that rage on the Sark." I said to her as I knew Pluto was still around.

The Terror-kinetics don't go down that easily. They always manage to come back from the dead. I know that from experience.

* * *

**Pluto's view**

Seeing how the organic's vehicle was now vulnerable, I saw my chance to infect it with my Phase Metal. With only slight damage to my own vehicle, I drove towards the all-terrain vehicle with the speed my vehicle could provide. I had almost gotten there until the driver released a grappling hook and pulled themselves towards the ceiling and avoided me. Then they used another one to grab me. I saw what the driver was doing and knew that I had received my chance to execute the virus introduction. So I sat there and waited for them to come right to me. I finally got my chance once the driver started using blades located in the wheels to cut my vehicle in half.

"Target acquired." I said to myself as I found the perfect vantage point on the undercarriage of the vehicle. "Commencing Phase Metal administration." With this, I exited my vehicle as the blades then destroyed the cockpit and launched the Phase Metal onto the undercarriage, my virus instantly infecting the driver's vehicle. "Phase Metal introduction complete." I then activated my communication unit and contacted Master Specter. "Target acquired."

* * *

**Specter's view**

After hearing this, I then activated the control device as it showed me a holographic image of the ally's vehicle.

"Excellent work, Pluto." I said to my brilliant scientist. "Return immediately."

"Returning now." Pluto said before I switched off the communication link with him, knowing he was already on his way back to us.

"The ally's vehicle is under our control, Lord Zemerik." I said to my lord as I showed him the image of the vehicle.

"Excellent." He said to me. "Now separate the organic from the Element Gang."

"Yes, my lord." I said to him as I then began testing the controls on the vehicle, even taking control of the transmitter of the vehicle's communicator to where the transmitter was only connected to my receiver.

* * *

**Agura's view**

After Pluto decided to bail and ran off and I split his ride in half, I watched as the Tangler started driving on its own, the steering wheel and the pedals moving on their own.

"What?" I said, wondering what was going on to the Tangler. "What's going on?"

"Ahhh! The Element Gang's old human ally." A voice said on the comm and I knew that voice anywhere. "I thought there was something familiar about that violent transgressional driving."

"Specter!" I said to him, not really glad to hear that whack job's voice again. "What did you do to my Tangler?"

"Is that the name of your vehicle?" he said to me. "No matter. The situation is of no concern to you, only that your vehicle will help us defeat the Element Gang and achieve victory for the Sark."

"I'll never help you!" I said to him, telling him to take that offer of his and blow out of his afterburner.

"Oh, you misunderstand." He said to me. "That wasn't a request, it was a statement! I now have control over all your vehicle's operating systems. The Tangler now belongs to the Sark."

"No! Wait!" I said as I tried to get out of the Tangler, but I was already locked in. "You can't! No!"

I now had to sit there while Specter started driving the Tangler back to the others.

* * *

**Axel's view**

After getting through that battle, we all regrouped to check in on everybody.

"Everybody, status report!" I said to them. "Everybody okay?"

"We're good." Zoom said, speaking for both himself and his brother.

"I'm better." Stanford said.

"We're all good here." Basar said, speaking for himself, Jay, and the girls.

I heard Sherm sniffle before he said "I'm a hundred percent."

"I'm nauseous." Spinner said after another glob of whatever it was dropped on the Buster again, making Vert chuckle a bit.

"Wait, where's Agura?" I asked, noticing she was missing.

"Agura, what's you 411?" Vert said, using the comm to talk to her.

* * *

**Agura's view**

As Specter kept on driving the Tangler and after I heard Vert on the comm, I tried to use the comm to warn the guys before he got the chance to do anything to them.

"Vert! Can you hear me?" I said, trying to use the comm. "Axel? Anybody? Major system malfunction! The Sark have taken over the Tangler!"

"Don't bother." Specter said over the comm. "Now that I have control over your vehicle, the Tangler's transmitter module is only connected to my receiver. You can be able to receive communication, but can no longer transmit any message. But…" It was only a few seconds before I heard him talking again, using my voice. "Mine works just fine."

* * *

**Axel's view**

After a little while, we finally heard Agura's voice, much to my relief.

"I'm fine, Vert." Agura said over the comm. "That bucket head Pluto busted the Tangler's fuel line."

* * *

**Agura's view**

"Guys, that wasn't me!" I said after hearing Specter say that with my voice.

"I'm going back to patch it up." Specter said to the guys.

"Don't sweat it, Agura." Vert said over the comm. "We'll keep after the Battle Key."

"No, wait!" I said as I tried to get out of the Tangler before a hologram of Specter's ugly mug showed up over the wheel. "Give me back my Tangler, Specter!"

"I don't think you're in the position to give me orders." Specter said to me, using his normal voice. "You're a prisoner in your own vehicle, organic. You had to expect this. My master's creator whimpered just before Lord Zemerik destroyed him. A lesson that you should remember: never trust a machine."

"No!" I said, not willing to give up. "I swear, I'll…"

"You'll what?" Specter said to me. "If you haven't noticed, organic, you have no control."

I then looked to where he was going and saw a portal opening up. It didn't take me long to figure out what he was trying to do.

"You're gonna use the Tangler to open the Earth portal!" I said as he kept driving towards the portal. Think again, Specter." I then got down there and got the identity module. "Thanks for the repair tips, Axe. No identity module, no portal."

By breaking the module, the Tangler could be seen as an Earth vehicle, which meant that the portal won't open for it. I thought I foiled the Sark's plan, but turns out I was wrong when I heard Specter laughing.

"Did you think we didn't anticipate for that move?" he said to me. "We have another purpose for the Tangler. Let's take a shortcut to the _heart_ of the problem."

He was just about to drive off again until he just stopped right after he turned around.

"What the…?" he said as I then looked up and saw Axel, looking at me with his arms crossed and a raised brow.

"Axel!" I said, happy to see him. "Axel, help! The Tangler's out of control!"

"He can't hear you." Specter said to me. "I've blocked out all sound within the cockpit. And don't bother trying to signal him. I've concealed the outside view of the cockpit, so he can't see you. Though, now that he's here, looks like I won't need to make a trip after all."

"Hey, Agura." Axel said, using the comm. "Busted fuel line, huh?"

"Uh…yeah." Specter said, trying to use my voice to make an excuse. "And apparently my identity module is out too."

"I can see the module's out." Axel said, thinking it was actually me. "And that the concealment on the Tangler's cockpit is malfunctioning."

"Yeah, so…do you mind opening up the portal so I could fix them?" Specter said to him.

"Oh, I would," Axel said before started getting angry, "if I didn't off the Fire Cycle's identity module after me and the guys got your call!"

"What?!" Specter said, shocked by this. "Why did you turn off your module?"

"Because I knew you would use to get back to Earth!" he said. "You lied about your fuel line to make an excuse. I got a reason for staying back here. I know what you're doing."

I smiled as I thought Axel figured it out.

"Um…you do?" Specter asked, now seeing his plan failed.

"Yes." Axel said before saying what he thought. "You're trying to get away from all of us, catch a break from all the frustration while we get the Battle Key."

"Really, Axel?" I said, frustrated that he didn't figure it out.

"Having problems with your Fire Dragon pet, huh?" Specter said, smiling at this while I glared at him. "Perfect. He'll never see it coming." He then started using my voice again as he talked to Axel. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't lie to me, Agura." Axel said. "I know when you're upset. Come out of the Tangler and let's talk this out."

Now I knew Specter was busted. He couldn't possibly be able to talk his way out of this one. Once Axel sees I can't get out, he'll come over and open the door himself. I thought that was gonna happen until…

"Not talking to me, huh?" Axel said before he actually started looking sad. "I guess I deserve it. You have every right to be mad at me."

"Axel," Specter said to him, "how about we go up and join the others there? We still need to get the Battle Key, right?"

"Yeah, that's right." Axel said. "Let's go, but we're not done talking. I'm not reactivating the model until we figure this out."

"Ugh! Fine." Specter said, out of frustration. "Let's just get the Key and get out of here."

With that, Specter drove the Tangler with Axel driving alongside. Though, with the way Specter was talking to him, I think Axel was starting to see there was something wrong.

* * *

**Axel's view**

As we were driving, I began to think about what was going on with Agura back there. She lied about the fuel line, then the Tangler has a few malfunctions after she dealt with Pluto, and now she's trying to avoid talking. All of it didn't make any sense. Agura wouldn't leave like that, especially with the Sark around. I know she might be frustrated, but that behavior isn't her style. I decided to keep an eye on her to see if I could figure it out as I then got sight of the others.

"Hey, guys!" I said as we got to the others, driving behind Stanford and Mari. "Look who I got to come back here."

"Seems you have a way with her, chum." Stanford said to me over the comm. "Though I guess she wouldn't resist leaving her dance partner."

"At least I'm not the only here for that dance." Mari said right before Agura started speeding up, going right past me.

I then watched as she rammed right into Stanford and Mari from behind, causing the two of them to crash as she just kept driving. Now that was strange. I knew Agura could hold a grudge, but not like this.

"Slam dancing is a little pass sweet, don't you think?" Stanford said, angry at Agura for making him crash.

"Why'd you do that?" Mari asked, recovering from the crash.

"Hey, Agura, why did you…" I said as I tried to catch up before she then drove to the side, drove up the wall, and started driving on the ceiling.

I looked there and saw that Basar was driving up there too, right before she pushed him away and causing him to fall on the ground.

"What the heck was that for?" Basar said to her as I then punched it to try and keep up with her, trying to see what the heck she was doing.

"Agura, what are you doing up there?" Vert said over the comm as Agura was right above him, right before she jumped off and landed on him.

There she then jumped off Vert and landed right on Tricha.

"Hey!" Tricha said as Agura then jumped off to land right in front of her as she kept driving.

There, I was able to catch up and drive in front of my cousin as I watched her driving right at Trustin and Zoom, the scene looking like she was ready to run them over.

"Trust, Zoom, behind you!" I said to the scouts as they looked behind them and saw Agura driving right at them.

"Whoa!" Trustin said as he and Zoom activated their bikes hover mode and dodge Agura as she kept on driving, the brothers now driving behind her like the rest of us as they turned their bikes' hover mode off.

All that was left in front of her was the Buster and Jay. I then watched as Agura then started driving on the walls again.

"Where's she going?" I heard Sherm over the comm.

"Going crazy." Spinner said before I then saw that Agura was driving right above them, lowering herself low enough to spook the brothers and make them lose control of the Buster's steering.

Seeing all this reckless driving, I knew something was wrong.

"Geez! What is her problem?" Trustin said as him, me, and Zoom drove alongside the Cortez brothers, the others following behind.

"Something's wrong." I said to the guys. "I've never seen Agura act like this."

* * *

**Agura's view**

Seeing the others still going behind the Tangler, I smiled as I knew they would be able to stop the Sark.

"You can't stop my friends, Specter." I said to that flame-headed nut job. "They're coming after me."

"Precisely." Specter said with his normal voice. "Why else did you think I went through them?"

After he said that, he stopped and then switched on the Tangler's blades. When he drove into a circle, I knew what he was doing. He actually wanted the guys to follow him so he could lead them into a trap. From what I've learned in biology, there's no telling what exactly Specter's pit trap led to.

"Agura, whatever's wrong, pull over and let's talk." I heard Vert say over the comm as Specter drove away far enough from the pit trap to turn around and show me him and Axel driving right to me, not knowing about the trap.

"You're right." Specter said to them with my voice. "Sorry, let's talk about this."

"Stop! It's a trap!" I said, trying to warn them.

* * *

**Axel's view**

Okay, now I knew something was wrong there. First, Agura barged through everybody like a bulldozer, now she apologizes and wants to talk about it? That is not how Agura behaves, not even to me. With that, I knew we had to stop.

"Vert, hold up!" I said as we were a few yards away from where Agura parked and stopped.

"What? What's wrong, Axel?" Vert asked me over the comm.

"Something doesn't feel right." I said before patching in to Agura's comm. "Agura, what's going on with you? Why did you make everyone crash? You sure you're alright?"

"Of course." Agura said to me through the comm. "Now come over here and let's talk this out, okay, Shnookums?"

"Look, I'm just saying—wait, what did you say?" I said as I realized and was shocked by what she said.

"I said I'm fine." Agura said, casually. "Now come over here and let's talk, sweetums."

"Sweetums?" I said, not really believing what she said.

I started to process this as the others came around. First, she lies about her fuel line being damaged, then the Tangler's identity module goes offline along with the cockpit windshield being covered, then she acts nice for me to open a portal, then she goes berserk on everyone, and finally, she gives me those pet names. None of that was right. None of it…was Agura. That's when I realized it. She said that the Tangler was damaged by Pluto. But what really happened was that Pluto must've done something to the Tangler. So that would mean…

"Guys, now's not the time to play 30 questions. We still have a Battle Key to find." Vert said before he started driving with the others following.

"Guys, stop! That's not Agura! It's a trap!" I said to the others, but I was too late as Vert sprung the trap and all of them fell right into a pit.

It was all a setup. Whatever Pluto did to the Tangler, it was now following the commands of the Sark. The lie about the fuel line was just to make me and the others leave while the Sark use the Tangler to open the portal to Earth. Agura must've saw that and got rid of the identity module so the portal wouldn't open for the Tangler. But the Sark must've wanted the Tangler for something else ʹcause they would know that would happen. The Battle Key! Something where the heart is must be making it impossible for the Sark to reach it! When they saw me there, they tried to use me to open the portal then deal with me later. When I refused to do it, they led me on with using Agura's voice and had me lead them to the others. This was the Sark's plan all along. They wanted to control one of us so they could trap us while they get the Key.

* * *

**Agura's view**

"No!" I said as I saw the guys fall down into the pit.

I then looked and saw Axel didn't fall in with them and was glaring at me. There, I knew Axel had figured it all out. Guess Specter's little goof in pet names gave it away.

* * *

**Trustin's view**

"Uh…watch out for that pot hole?" Zoom said as I recovered from falling with him and the guys into that pit, both of us off of out bikes.

"Everybody okay?" Vert asked as he got out of the Saber.

"Except for Agura." Stanford said as he popped his head out of the Reverb. "We all know how annoying Spinner can be, but why take it out on the rest of us?"

"Hello?" Spinner said he got out of the Buster. "I'm right here." He then groaned as he used the hatch to shield himself from that slime that came down from above. "Oh, good. We're in Snot World."

I then looked up and saw the ceiling was sealing back up.

* * *

**Agura's view**

I watched as the hole sealed up, trapping the guys down there.

"Guys!" Axel said before going right back to glaring at me.

"Oh, boy. Looks like our friends are in trouble." Specter said to him. "I got an idea: you stay here and try to get them out and I'll…"

"Can it!" Axel said, getting the Fire Cycle's blade out. "You're not going anywhere!"

"Ugh!" Specter groaned. "Are you still hung up on…"

"That's not why I'm mad." Axel said. "I know you did that on purpose!"

"Me?" Specter said. "Why would you think that for, beefcakes?"

"Because you're not Agura!" Axel said. "Agura would never say anything like that!"

"Looks like your little plan failed, Specter." I said to Specter with a smug as that fail head growled.

* * *

**Axel's view**

"Show yourself, you imposter!" Axel said, talking to Specter. "Where's the real Agura?"

"Well, give the Fire Dragon a pat on the back." The imposter said, still using Agura's voice. "I knew I wouldn't be able to fool ya for long. But at least I can stop using this ridiculous voice." As the smoke cover on the windshield began to fade, the imposter's voice began to change, becoming one I knew all too much. There, I knew who was really behind the wheel. "As for Agura…she's right here."

When the cover was gone, I looked to see Agura's worried face and the hologram of her imposter as he laughed.

"Specter!" I said as his hologram turned to me. "I should've known when I saw the Tangler acting strange, a Terror-kinetic would be behind the wheel!"

"That's right!" Specter said through the comm as Agura gave me a look for help. "It was me the whole time! Thanks to Pluto, I now have full control over your sweetheart's vehicle!"

"Let her go, Specter!" I said to him, ready to fight.

"Oh, I don't think so." Specter said to me. "Now that you've seen through my little trick, the only option left is to use her as a hostage so you or the Element Gang will try to stop us." I growled at him and got out my Fire Dragon eyes to make the point. "Uh, uh, uh! Don't want to hurt your little princess, now would you?" As he got the Tangler's claws out, I saw he was right. If I attack the Tangler, I might hurt Agura. So I backed away as Specter put away the claws. "There's a good boy. Now, if you excuse me, the Tangler still has one more job to do. You could try to stop me, but I would actually be more concerned on your friends beneath us. Pluto analyzed the area and there is organic life that isn't…quite fond to other organics. Farewell, Axel."

As he drove off, I knew he was right. Since we're inside a creature, there could be stuff in here that could actually be dangerous for us to face. So I decided to see if I could contact the others. Especially when I saw Basar trying to use the Rockwheeler to cut through where they came out.

* * *

**Vert's view**

After the hole sealed up, Basar then drove up to try and cut a way back up there. I tried to get the girls to fly us out, but they said it was too dangerous because there wasn't enough room for them to fly the Torn Jet or the Storm Glider, so Basar decided to take the Rockwheeler to see if he cut a new hole up there. Unlucky for us, this thing healed up fast than he could cut. He got so worked up that he started cutting like a maniac and ended up falling right back down to us.

"Well, getting back up there is a no go." Basar said after he got out of the Rockwheeler. "I can't cut through that mess!"

"Whatever this thing is, looks like it heals itself pretty quick." I said as I helped Basar up.

"Too bad the Buster can't." Sherm said as I walked over to him working on the Buster. "It's got a burnt-out differential control."

"Replace it and let's get out of here." I said to him as he stood up.

"Just need someone small enough to crawl under there." Sherm said to me.

"Like a certain germophobe?" Basar asked as we all looked at Spinner.

"You want me to lay down on that?!" Spinner said, not really into getting under and having his back on the inside of a monster.

"Hey, you had to expect this for being a part of the Element Gang." Basar said to him. "I mean even Axel had to get out of his comfort zone to this stuff. You're the only one who can get under there and fix the Buster. What do you say, Spin?"

"Ugh! Fine." Spinner groaned out before he got out and got to work under the Buster.

While he worked, Basar then got to work on flipping his Rockwheeler back on its wheels.

"How's it going down there, Spin?" Basar asked as he walked over.

"Almost done." Spinner said. "Smells like an armpit down here."

"Maybe because you're sniffing your own armpit down there?" Basar said to him.

It was a little while before Spinner said "Oh. It is my armpit."

"Guys, can you hear?" I heard Axel's voice coming from the comm. "Guys? Do you read me?"

"Read you loud and clear, Axel." I said to him. "What's your status? Agura still with you?"

"I'm fine, but Agura's not with me." Axel said. "Guys, we got a problem."

"I'll say." Basar said as he came over. "Your girlfriend's gone psycho and dumped us all into a pit!"

"Base, that wasn't Agura!" Axel said. "It was Specter!"

"Specter?" Basar said, just as confused as I was.

"Axel, what're you talking about?" I asked him.

"Guys, Agura isn't the one to blame for all this." Axel said to us. "Somehow the Sark hijacked the Tangler and now Agura's trapped inside it! Specter's been driving it the whole time!"

"That explains why she was acting so weird after that Sark attack." Trustin said as he came over to us.

"Do you know where Specter's taking the Tangler?" I asked him.

"I think he's taking it to the heart." Axel said to us. "There must be something keeping the Sark away from it and they need the Tangler to reach it. Though that's the least of our worries. You need to get out of there."

"We're working on it." I said to him. "Just have to wait for Spinner to finish fixing repairs on the Buster."

"Well, he'll need to work fast." Axel said.

"What? Why?" I asked.

"Vert, I just found out that there's something else down there that is gonna be pretty friendly with you guys." Axel answered. "With this Battle Zone being a living creature, there's no telling what kind of dangers there might be."

"Like what?" I asked before I looked to see Spinner crawling out from underneath the Buster.

"Spin, what's wrong?" Basar asked as Spinner looked like he saw a ghost.

"I saw something move." Spinner said.

"Uh…guys?" Jay said as we all heard some kind of noise out there.

We all looked around and actually saw something moving around here. We couldn't really see them that well, but we could see they had these six red eyes.

"Uh, Zoom? Jay? Trust?" I said to the three motorcyclists. "Hit your headlights."

Once they did, we all saw that we weren't alone done here as these weird slug monsters came right at us.

"Oh, boy. Uh, Axel?" I said as those things got closer. "About those danger you were talking about? I think we just found them."

"Aaaaah! Germs!" Tricha screamed as she jumped into Basar's arms and he held her. "Eeeewwwww!"

"They're all over the place!" Jay said as those germs kept getting closer. "We're surrounded!"

"Fortunately, we have an expert on germs." Trustin said, talking about Spinner who was hiding behind Sherm. "Spinner, what do we do?"

"Run!" Spinner said as those things kept getting closer.

* * *

**Agura's view**

After that driving and leave my friends behind, I looked to see where Specter brought me. It was where the heart was along with the rest of the Sark.

"The Key!" I said as I looked and saw the Battle Key right on it.

Now I knew why they needed my Tangler. The heart was up on the ceiling and the Tangler was one of the only vehicles able to climb anything like that. I now could only watch as Specter started driving the Tangler and began climbing towards the Key.

**Specter's view**

"The Battle Key will soon be yours, Lord Zemerik." I said to my master as I made the Tangler climb towards the Battle Key.

"Once she has retrieved the Battle Key, dispose of her." Lord Zemerik said to me.

"Yes, my lord." I said to him.

**Agura's view**

As Specter drove the Tangler closer to the Battle Key, I was hoping the guys got here quick before the Sark were done with me.

* * *

**Vert's view**

Well, this was new. Being attack by a couple of giant germs. They kind of looked like slug with these tentacle things, big mouths, sharp teeth, and red eyes.

"Science lesson: germs attack organic material." Sherm said as those things kept getting closer. "Like us!"

"Run for your lives!" Jay yelled as we all got to our vehicles and got ready roll out.

Though we would be rolling if I didn't overhear what was going on with the Buster over the comm. Guess I had to thank Axel for that.

"I'm not getting power to the wheels." Sherm said. "Spinner, didn't you fix it?"

"Oh, who knows?" Spinner said, still freaked out by those germs. "I was too busy screaming!"

I then looked to see as one of those germs jumped on the Buster and Spinner screamed.

"Like that." Spinner said after he screamed.

"Fine, I'll do it." Sherm said. "Guys, cover me!"

"On it!" I said as I got in the Saber and drove to take care of some of those germs and had Zoom and Stanford help me create a blockade while Sherm got to work on the Buster.

**Basar's view**

After hearing him say that and seeing him trying to lift up the Buster, I then decided to take the lead for Axel.

"Okay, guys, listen up." I said as I told my elemental teammates what we were gonna do. "I'm gonna help lift up the Buster so Sherm can fix it. Tricha, Jay, you guys cover us while Sherm is fixing the Buster. Mari, Trust, you help Vert and the others fight back germs."

"Why don't I just use my Storm Cannons and fry those slime balls?" Mari asked, the answer easy to tell her.

"No! The metal in this place will absorb your electricity and shock all of us! That means from both your cannons and you." I said to her. "Just use the Storm Glider to make a barricade with the others and try to smack as much of them away. Okay, break!"

With that, we all then went off to do our jobs.

"Need a lift?" I said to Sherm as I used the Rockwheeler to lift up the Buster while Tricha and Jay stood guard and the others made the barricade and fought back the germs.

**Agura's view**

The Tangler kept on going and I still could see Axel or the others. Oh, guys, wherever you are, you better hurry.

**Vert's view**

After making that blockade, me, Zoom, Stanford, Trust, and Mari fought against those germs. Though we weren't doing so well. There were too many of them for us to fight. They even managed to get through the blockade.

"Spin, behind you!" Basar said as I looked and saw a couple of germs up there with him.

Spinner screamed before he sprayed them with something that scared them away.

"Sherman!" Basar said, wondering if the repairs were done like I was.

"Done!" Sherm said as he was done.

He then got out from under there, letting Basar put it down, and then got back into the Buster. With all that done, we all then got back to our vehicles and drove off to get away from those germs.

"Sherman, bust a hole out of here!" I told him.

"Hang on!" Sherm said as he drove through the wall and we all followed him out. Well, all except for Zoom, Trust, and Jay.

**Trustin's view**

After Sherm bust that hole in the wall, me, Zoom, and Jay tried to drive over there as fast as we could before it sealed up. Luckily, we all managed to get through just in time and rejoined the others.

**Vert's view**

"Battle Key coordinates reacquired!" Stanford said over the comm.

"Got it!" I said before I used the comm to contact Axel. "Axel, we made it out and we're heading for the heart!"

"I'll meet you guys there!" Axel said as I knew he drove off to meet us at the heart.

"Okay, guys." I said to the others as drove out to the heart. "Now let's get that Battle Key and rescue Agura!"

* * *

**Axel's view**

After driving for a while, I met up with the others and we got to where the heart was, which was as big as a Mobi. It was a strange looking heart at that. It looked like a combination between a regular heart and a Sark energy core with the Battle Key laying right on the front of it at the center. In this part of the creature, we found the rest of the Sark and the Tangler, which was almost at the Key and still going. We were all in hiding after we saw them.

"So that's why they need the Tangler." I said as I watched the Tangler moving towards the Battle Key. "They can't get high enough to reach the Battle Key."

"I cannot believe the Sark would do something like this." Stanford said.

"I don't get it. Wouldn't it be easier to let Specter fly up there to get it?" Zoom said, pointing out Specter's ability to fly. "The dude haves wings!"

"I think that's the problem." I said as I analyzed the heart. "The heart's metal is giving off some kind of magnetic field. It's short ranged to not be able to keep down a vehicle like the Tangler or the Rockwheeler, but it's definitely strong enough to hold down a normal car like ours and the Sark…or pin a member of the Sark completely."

"What makes you think you it can hold down one of them?" Jay asked before I pointed out the newest accessory to the heart, who was struggling to get off.

"Look, it's Vetto!" Trustin said as we all watched the beast of the Terror-kinetics try to get himself free as laid below the Key.

"Wow! That is strong to hold that muscle head down." Basar said as they all saw it.

"This must be a defense mechanism to protect the Battle Key." I said, realizing it.

"So that's the why the Terror-kinetics are staying on the ground." Basar said, seeing how that made sense. "If they go up there, they'll just be stuck on the heart like the Key."

"I'm still wondering how they took control of the Tangler." Sherman said as we all wondered that.

"We can figure that out later." Vert said. "Right now, we need to make sure Zemerik doesn't get the Key. Kick it!"

With that, we all drove out of hiding and towards the Sark, weapons out for some robot-bashing. Vert took out two Zurk with the wheel blades on the Saber, decapitating them both.

**Specter's view**

After seeing the Element Gang and their allies appear, I then entered my vehicle so I could continue controlling the Tangler.

"Specter, report!" My lord said to over the communication link.

"I almost have the Key, my lord." I said to him. "I just need more time."

"Send in your Terror-kinetics and the Zurk." Lord Zemerik said to me.

"Understood, master." I said before setting up the link to my Terror-kinetics. "Terror-kinetics, Zurk, destroy them!"

**Axel's view**

After fighting them for a while, the Terror-kinetics and the Zurk that were with them came right at us.

"Stanford, left side now!" Vert said and Stanford got out his cannons and started blasting and the Zurk.

"Jay, right flank!" I said to my striker.

"You got it!" Jay said as he got out his Wave Rider's cannon and join Stanford at firing at Zurk.

The two were doing pretty good. They even managed to blast Hana and Arachna's vehicles to scrap.

"Spinner, take those Zurk out!" Vert said to Spinner as he activate one of the Buster's maces and knocked away some Zurk.

"Basar, go and get the Battle Key!" I said to my combatant.

"On it!" Basar said as he then drove off to get the Key.

Luckily for us, the Rockwheeler had a little more speed than the Tangler while climbing.

"Mari, Trich, cover him!" I said as I saw Hana and Arachna going after Basar.

The way they did was that Mari would dive-bomb and disrupt their climbing and Tricha would come in and blast them. They would be doing this while Basar keeps climbing to get the Key. Sure, those two crooks dodged those attacks, but it wouldn't be long until they were knocked back to the ground.

"That's it! Keep it up, guys!" I said as I then got the Fire Cycle's blades out and took out some Zurk.

"Good work, team!" Vert said as we all kept on fighting and were actually winning it.

Though things were starting to get a little rough for Trustin and Zoom when Pluto and a couple of Zurk began charging at them, weapons ready for an attack.

"Sherman, Zoom and Trust need a boost!" Vert said over the comm.

"Activating ramp, bro! Hang on!" Sherman said as he then turned the Buster around and Spinner put down the ramp.

"Zoom! Trust! Up and over!" Vert said, making the two scout turn around and head for the ramp. "Watch your backs!"

The two brothers made it over and activate their bikes hover mode. Though they weren't the only ones as I saw Pluto, who was ahead of his Zurk and went on the ramp sometime after the brothers, launching himself in the air while the Buster put away its ramp and the Zurk crashed behind him. While he flew through the air, Mars came in, trying to ram the Buster with two Zurk. Trustin and Zoom came in and sliced those Zurk in half, leaving Mars distracted enough for Pluto to crash into him and cause both of them to crash.

"Nice!" Vert said as we were winning the fight.

"Basar, how's it going up there?" I asked Basar who was still going after the Key.

"I'm almost there!" Basar said to me over the comm.

**Agura's view**

Seeing all the guys here and fighting the Sark, I actually smiled. Though I lost that smile once the Tangler got to where the Key was and took it right off. After it did, Vetto (who was actually on the heart for some reason) ended up falling right off it and crashed into the ground.

**Specter's view**

"The Key is ours, Lord Zemerik!" I said after I obtained the Key and then called the Tangler back.

"Excellent." My lord said as the Tangler came to him and he took the Key. "Sark, the Earth portal!"

With that, we all then drove off towards the portal where we will begin the invasion of Earth, having enough Zurk to do so.

But, before Lord Zemerik and I could leave, that Fire Dragon drove in to stop us.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Axel said to us.

"We'll see about that!" I said as I then gave the order to the Tangler. "Tangler, destroy him!"

**Agura's view**

After Specter said that, the Tangler drove right over to Axel. I tried to take back control and stop it, but I was too late as the Tangler picked him up and threw him away.

"Axel, no!" I said, worried about Axel.

"Follow." I heard Specter over the comm as the Tangler followed him and Zemerik.

"No! Axel!" I yelled out, trying to break out of the Tangler so I could get to Axel and make sure he wasn't hurt.

**Axel's view**

After getting tossed, I managed to get the Fire Cycle running again and started going after the Sark.

"Element Gang! Battle Force 5! With me!" I said as we all drove after the Sark, the entrance leading to the heart closing behind us.

"We need to get the Battle Key back!" Jay said as we kept on chasing the Sark.

"I know, but we won't be able to stop them as long as they have Agura and the Tangler. We need to break Specter's control over it." I said before switching over to Sherm. "Sherm, scan the Tangler for anomalies. Pluto may have planted a receiver of some kind in the Tangler."

It was only a moment until he finally said "I found something. It's Sark technology, like a remote control."

"They're getting close to home, guys." Vert said over the comm. "If we don't get ahead of them, Earth is toast!"

"Then let me get _off track!_" Sherm said as he drove the Buster off the spinal track we were on and headed down to where the Sark were, taking out a few Zurk while he was at it.

We all then joined him and followed behind as he rammed right through the Zurk in front of him.

**Specter's view**

Finally, we had gotten the Battle Key and were free to conquer Earth! Just when it seemed like we were going to finally win…

"Uh…Lord Zemerik?" Pluto said as I then turned around and looked to see the Element Gang following behind.

"What?" Lord Zemerik said as he no doubt looked to see the Element Gang there too.

**Axel's view**

"Sherman, where's the controller?" I said as I drove pass the Buster.

"It's somewhere under the cockpit." Sherm told me.

"Good." I said to him. "I need to get under there. Spinner, do you think you can tip the Tangler up on two wheels?"

"Of course, he can!" Zoom said over the comm. "He's been practicing all day!"

"Ha, ha!" Spinner sarcastically said before talking to me. "But what are you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna save my girl." I said to them. "I'll draw the Tangler's attention, you guys do the rest."

With that, I then drove past the Tangler and started driving in front of it. Just like thought, Specter set it to attack me.

"Brace for impact!" Spinner said as he got ready to tip the Tangler.

**Agura's view**

With how things looked, I knew what they were doing. They were trying to break Specter's control over the Tangler.

Smiling in hope for my friends to get me, I smiled and said "Do it, Spinner."

**Axel's view**

Just when I thought Spinner was gonna do it, I ended up hearing him screaming.

"Spinner, what's going on in there?" I said to him over the comm.

"I got one of those cooties in here with me!" Spinner said as he was no doubt talking about a germ that somehow hitched a ride on the Buster. I could hear it snarling over the comm. "It's on my controls!"

"Spinner, I know you don't like germs," I said to him over the comm, "but if we're ever gonna save Agura and stop the Sark, you need conquer your fear and crush that slime ball."

I heard him groan before he said "Agura, if you can hear me, I'm really, really sorry about this."

Spinner managed to do it as the Buster's mace spike sprung out and tip the Tangler a bit, allowing me to get underneath as it regain balance. Seeing how Pluto would have the time to install the controller, it would have to somewhere on the outside. And I knew just what would be enough to break it and established a comm link with the Tangler to warn her.

**Agura's view**

"Agura, cover your ears!" I heard Axel said over the comm.

There I knew what he was gonna do and did as he said, ready for when he did it.

**Axel's view**

After taking a deep breath, I then unleashed my sonic roar on the Tangler and it worked. I managed to disable the controller. I saw it was a blob and, when it was sticking out, I then stopped roaring and set it ablaze with my fire breath. After that, I then drove out from under the Tangler and watched as that blob slip right off and get ran over by Stanford.

**Specter's view**

Just like that, the controller for the Phase Metal lost the image of the Tangler, meaning the virus was gone and I no longer had control of it.

"Nooooo! My Phase Metal!" Pluto yelled out in dismay over the loss of his creation.

"Impossible!" Lord Zemerik said, frustrated that we no longer had control of the vehicle.

**Axel's view**

I drove beside the Tangler and tried to see if my plan worked.

"Agura, you okay?" I said, trying to use the comm. "Agura!"

"Axel?" I heard Agura's voice. "Do you copy?"

"Loud and clear." I said in relief to her. "Welcome back."

"Glad to be back." She said to me.

"Well, we're gonna stop the invasion of our home planet." I said to her. "You in?"

"My pleasure." Agura said to me as we both drove ahead.

"We need to stop Zemerik!" I said to her. "He's got the Battle Key!"

"You go get Zemerik, Specter's all mine." Agura said as she drove off after Specter with me following behind. "It's payback time."

* * *

**Specter's view**

After managing to get ahead of the Element Gang, we managed to get to the Earth portal. After arriving, our glorious leader then used the Battle Key to open the portal for us.

"Stay here and guard the portal for the rest of the army." I told my Terror-kinetics as I then joined our glorious leader into arriving on Earth.

Lord Zemerik proudly laughed before saying "Victory!"

We had made it through the portal and were about to set our vehicles on Earth's grounds…until both Lord Zemerik and I felt something from behind and were suddenly pulled back into the Battle Zone. We tried to move forward, but something was still pulling us back.

We both looked back and saw that the Fire Dragon and his mate had us both on their grappling cables. I looked around and saw they had beat all of my Terror-kinetics, who all laid unconscious.

**Axel's view**

After managing to blast and smack away the Terror-kinetics, me and Agura then used our grappling cables to grab on to Specter and Zemerik and pull them back to Battle Zone. Agura took Specter while I took Zemerik.

"Oh, no, you don't." Agura said as she then put out the Tangler's blades and began drifting on the ground, cutting the creature's flesh beneath Specter and Zemerik.

I followed her lead and drifted around those Sark with her.

"Noooo!" Zemerik said as we finished drifting, the area they were in now sinking beneath them.

The ripped flesh left big enough leaks for the germs to get through, though they weren't able to get to Zemerik and Specter as Specter practically barbecued them. Besides, most of them didn't go after them, they went after the Buster for some reason. I found out why when I overheard the Cortez Brothers talking over the comm.

"Hey, Sherm." Spinner said. "You still got that pizza?"

"Didn't you say it was a germ magnet?" Sherm asked him and I knew what Spinner was thinking.

"That's what I'm counting on." Spinner said and, a moment later, he then said "Say cheese!"

With that, I watched as the Buster shot out a slice of pizza, which Specter took right in kisser when he looked at it flying right at him.

"Bulls-eye!" Spinner said as Specter yelled from having the pizza shot in his face.

"Great shot, buddy." Agura said to him and watched the pizza do its work.

"Aaah! My eyes!" Specter said before he got the pizza of his face and tossed it onto Zemerik's vehicle. "I can't see!"

We all then watched as the germs that we're going after the Buster then started heading towards Specter and Zemerik, trying to get the pizza as they surround them and basically dogpiled them. The weight of the germs combined with theirs caused the flesh to tear apart as it collapsed, now leaving them hanging by our cables.

"Come on, you're not still mad about the Phase Metal, are you?" Specter nervously said to us as he could not fly with all the germs on him, giving a nervous smile and no doubt talking about the controller.

"See ya, Specter." I said as me and Agura unhooked him and Zemerik, retracted our cables, and let fall down to who knows where, the two screaming as the flesh regenerated to seal the hole.

"Nice job, you two." Vert said as he and the others met up with us.

"Wait, what about the rest of the Terror-kinetics?" Trustin asked.

"Oh, I don't think they're gonna be much of a problem." I said as I pointed to the devils in question who were now being attack by the germs.

They might have cybernetic parts, but they were still organic. We all watched them run as the horde of germs chased after them.

"Element Gang, rev up and roll out!" I said as we all then drove the portal back to Earth.

After getting through the portal, I let Agura do the honors and close up the portal.

"Guys, thanks for not giving up on me in there." Agura said to me and the others. "Especially you, Axel. If wasn't for you, the Tangler would still be under Specter's control."

"Well, of course." I said before I lost that smile of mine. "Though I should apologize."

"For what?" she asked me.

"For not supporting you when I should've." I said to her. "If I did, I wouldn't have doubts about your behavior back there. When Specter used your voice to tell us you were going back to repair the Tangler, I thought you were making an excuse to avoid all of us. To avoid me. I know I haven't been very supportive for a while, but I wasn't just looking out for the others safety in your outburst, I was looking out for your safety too. We're all a part of a team now, so we need to trust each other. I was worried that they would lose trust in you and…that you might get hurt. I don't want to see any harm being brought to you, Agura. I love you and I will do anything to protect you."

After a moment, I saw some tears leave her eyes as she smiled.

"Oh, Axel!" She said as she grabbed me into a hug, no doubt touched by what I said.

With this, I gladly returned. After we broke a part and held each other in each other's arms, we looked into each other's eyes and smiled.

"You know it still gets me." I said to her.

"What?" She asked me.

"Just how hot you look in your shock suit." I answered her, which she replied by playfully pushing me and giggling right before I picked wrapped my arms around her and picked her up. "There's my Agura!"

"Axel, stop!" Agura said as she started to blush and trying to resist the urge to laugh. "You're embarrassing me in front of everyone!"

She then started laughing as I began kissing her, everyone still watching, no doubt not wanting to see the affection I was giving Agura. I stopped kissing her when I felt her scratching the back of my ear.

"Whoa! Hey! That's my ear!" I said to her, feeling the sensation from being scratched there.

"Aww! You know you like it when I scratch your ear like this." Agura cooed, turning the tables on me.

"Geez! Get a room, lovebirds!" Jay said to us and we both decided it was time to stop and give everybody a break from any more events.

"You know, I wasn't the only one who didn't lose faith in you." I said to her. "Spinner had your back too."

After Agura looked at him and me and her started walking over to him, Spinner gave a nervous smile and said "Figured I'd owed ya ʹCause sometimes I get a little, you know, out of control."

"Trust me, I've been there." Agura said to him.

"We've all been there." I said to him. "We've all made our mistakes with our own habits, but that's what makes us who we are."

Agura then offered her hand to Spinner and said "So we're cool?"

"Yeah, we're cool." Spinner said as he shook her hand, though me and Agura found out that he had some residue on his hand and got some on Agura's after the broke the handshake.

"Spinner!" Agura said as she saw the slime on her hand before she gagged. "AH!"

"Ugh, what is that?" I asked him, feeling grossed out by what was on his hand.

"Sorry! Mecha-germ guts, all out of wet wipes." Spinner answered me.

"Oh, I think I'm gonna be sick." I said before I then felt it in my throat. "Yeah, gonna barf!"

**Basar's view**

As we all watched Axel barf on the ground, I looked around and saw Battle Force 5 looking at me and the rest of the Element Gang.

"What?" I said to them as I then decided to remind them. "I told ya, he's a neat freak."

We all then laughed as Axel came back, got on his Fire Cycle, and laid on it.

* * *

**Axel's Note**

Well that was quite the little body adventure. Not sure if this helped with the trust issues or helped Agura be a little more in control of her anger, but has been a lesson that no matter what a person does, you should lose faith in them and that, when they need it, you have to be supportive to them as much as others. At least now I've worked things out with Agura. Hopefully, we'll all be able to strength our trust in each other as we protect Earth.

* * *

**Okay, to explain the note, I'm gonna put those there when the chapter does not end in Axel's point of view. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! More exciting adventures await in the next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 4: Basic Training

**Chapter 4: Basic Training**

There we were, in a new Battle Zone and getting a new Battle Key. The difficulty this time was this giant cephalopod slamming its tentacles down on the ground from underneath us. It's now been over half a month of going through Stormshocks and we've been doing pretty well at collecting Battle Keys. We've already gotten 8 more Battle Keys and, with this new one, we had now gotten over 41 Battle Keys. Me, the gang, and BF5 were racing toward the Battle Key with the Cortez Brother taking the lead and Spinner doing a sport announcer act.

"And the Battle Key goes to…" Spinner said over the comm as he and Sherm got the Battle Key. "The amazing Cortez Brothers!" Then he started this radio talk act with his brother. "Shh! Shh! Spinner to Sherman, take us home, little buddy."

"Roger-dodger, big buddy." Sherman said before he pumped the gas on the Buster, just as Zoom and Trust came up beside them.

"Whoo-hoo! Yeah!" Zoom yelled out as he jumped through a wrapping vine, his older brother going under it, right before he used the magnet cable to take the Battle Key away. "Owned it!"

Landing in front of the Buster, Zoom caused Sherm and Spin to lose control and the two end up bumping into Basar and the Rockwheeler.

"Hey!" Basar said, mad at the Cortez Brothers for bumping into him. "Keep your eyes on the road, wide load!"

"Guys, quit goofing off and work together or that thing will eat us for lunch!" Vert said to the others as him and me tried to keep up with the others.

"Vert's right." I said, using the comm. "We're trying to save Earth, remember?"

Then we all watched as Agura came around and drove over the brothers, shocking all of us as me and Vert drove to get out of the way.

"Correction: _we're_ saving Earth, Agura's running over teammates." Spinner said as we all watched Agura drive over to Zoom, getting him under the Tangler.

"Hey!" Zoom said after Agura took the Key away from him.

"Tough, Zoom." Agura said before she drove off. "You snooze, you lose!"

"Agura, this is not a competition!" I said to her, but my voice fell on deaf ears.

"Make way, make way." Stanford said over the comm as he came up behind Agura. "Royalty coming through!"

I managed to stop spinning by using my old tail anchor, a metalbending trick I learned for such situations. I was a little dizzy, but I managed to recover. Though Vert didn't have it as easy as me in stopping as I watched him end up flipping around before the Saber finally stop, but getting stuck from stabbing itself into the ground.

"Uh, fellas?" Vert said as the others kept on going, not even noticing they were leaving us behind.

"I'll get you out of there, Vert." I said before unanchored myself and drove over to Vert to get the Saber out of the ground, annoyed that the others were focused on making this whole mission through the Battle Zones into a race instead of making sure it was safe and that we all make it in one piece.

* * *

**Basar's view**

With us, me and the others watched as Agura, Spin, Sherm, and Zoom tried to get over to Stanford and take the key away from him. I like a good race as much as the next guy, but we didn't clear this darn Battle Zone yet. Me and Trust have enough sense to know that we can't be trying to race each other until we get home. Me and him learned that the hard way when we tried to race in a Battle Zone and nearly lost a Battle Key to the Vandals. At least all of this was gonna be over once we crossed over back home. With Stanford opening up the portal, we all then drove right through, but I felt like we were missing something.

* * *

**Axel's view**

With me and Vert, I was trying to pull the Saber out of the ground by using my metalbending and Vert tried to help by using his car's blades, which really didn't help as I couldn't get a grip.

"Come on! Let's go!" Vert said to him as he kept on trying to use the blades to get himself out. "Start!"

"Vert, would you stop that?" I said to him, pointing out that using the Saber like that was pointless. "That's not gonna work. The hood's too far in there for the Saber to just pop out like that. Just stop and let me pull you out of there."

"Fine, but you better hurry." Vert said to me as he stopped. "The guys don't know that we're still back here."

"Okay, let me just…" I said as I then got a hold on the Saber and started pulling it out.

I stopped when I saw a shadow looming over us and I looked with fear to see the cephalopod had managed to find us.

"Oh, boy." Vert said, sound about as afraid as I was. "Axel, get me out of here!"

I then got back to pulling and, after a moment, finally got the Saber out of the ground. After that, I quickly got it back on its wheels and got back to my Fire Cycle.

"Back to the portal, fast!" I said as we both got driving to the portal as fast as we could.

* * *

**Basar's view**

After getting through the portal, me and the others watched as Stanford gloated about being the first back to Earth, which was one thing I hated about him: his ego.

"And one through is…" Stanford said before he then closed up the portal, holding up the Key in victory. "Stanford Isaac Rhodes!"

I then heard Agura laugh as I looked to her and she walked up to Spinner.

"You should have seen your face when I drove over your turret." She said to him.

"You should've seen _your_ face when we shot past you with our afterburners! Burn!" Spinner said before he sat down on the Chopper's front wheel, which I did remember was burning a lot of rubber back there. I then watched as he stood up and freaked out, fanning his butt. Gotta say that was pretty funny. "Aah! Hot wheels! Hot wheels!"

"What can I tell ya?" Zoom said to him. "My Chopper's the hottest ride around."

"Wait a second, something's not right." Sherm said as we all looked around, getting the same feeling.

"Wait, where's Axel and Vert?" Trustin said as all then realized our team leaders weren't there with us.

"Oh, no." I said, horrified by what this meant. "They must still be in the Battle Zone!"

"But I thought…" Stanford said before Trust went over and interrupted him.

"Give me that!" he said as he took the Key and ran over to where the portal is.

"Of all the people we had to leave behind in a Battle Zone," Jay said, worrying about the same thing me and the others were worried about, "it had to be the fire elemental who can chew us out for doing something like this!"

"Hi-yah!" Trust said as he ninja-kicked the Key over and opened the portal.

There we all watched as Axel came through along with some tentacles, which shocked us, before the Saber came out, being dragged back by more of those tentacles. Vert tried to drive away, but those things were still pulling him back. Luckily, Axel was able to get over and use his metalbending to make sure Vert didn't get pulled back in.

"Close the portal! Close the portal!" Axel said as he tried to pull Vert away from that overgrown squid.

With that, Trust then closed the portal cutting off that thing's tentacles and freeing Vert. Axel also let go as he fell on his back and Vert parked in front of him.

"Vert, Axel." I said to the leaders after Axel got up and Vert got out of the Saber, both trying not to step on the tentacles. "You okay?"

"Hey guys." Vert said with a big grin on his face.

"We're just peachy." Axel said, grinding his teeth and his left eye twitching.

"They're mad, aren't they?" Spinner whispered over to me and Sherm.

"Yep, Axel's mad." I said, afraid of what he might say as his eye kept twitching. "Eye-twitching mad."

"Mad? Why would we be mad?" Vert said as he stood there.

"Yeah. We won another Battle Zone, right?" Axel said, smiling but still grinding his teeth and his eye still twitching as he walked over to the center. Spin rolled his eyes right before Axel got up in his face. "We saved the Earth, right?" Then Axel then lost the smile and started looking mad. "And, oh, yeah, you all had fun goofing around while me and Vert fight a giant interdimensional squid!"

"Why would we be mad?" Vert said as he got back in the Saber, giving us a grim look.

When he closed the cockpit, we all watched as he started ranting out about what had happened.

As Vert kept on ranting, Axel walked over, took the Battle Key, and got back on his Fire Cycle, glaring at us.

"We'll see you all back at the garage." Axel said before talking to me and the rest of the Element Gang. "You five, down at the base immediately for training."

"What? Why?" I said as we were shocked by that.

"Because I said so!" Axel said before he and Vert drove off, leaving a dust trail right in our faces.

"Yep." Stanford said with a smile. "Definitely mad."

With that, Jay then got out his cannon and hosed Stanford straight to the ground. After that, we all got back to our rides and drove back to the garage. Boy, is Axel scary when he's mad. I just hope he's in a better mood once we get back.

* * *

**Agura's view**

After getting back, I was actually shocked from what Axel did. He actually grabbed Basar and the others and literally dragged all five of them down to the base against their will. Mari even tried to get herself away and Stanford even tried to help her only for Axel to smack him away. I was actually scared of how Axel was acting. He told us that what he was doing was Element Gang business only, which I had to guess was his way of saying to stay out of the way. I knew what happened was bad, but I didn't think it would be like this. Seeing how Axel would need time to cool off and there was no way to help down there, me and the rest of the guys decided to go out for lunch, thought that might help Vert chill out. But he told us he would meet up with us later so we went off without him. Still, even while waiting for our orders, I still couldn't help but worry about Axel. I've never seen him like this.

"How long does it take to make a pizza?" Stanford said, getting impatient with his order. "My butler used to make it in five minutes flat."

"Pizza butler? Sweet!" Zoom said and I shook it off and just start thinking about how Axel was doing.

"Hey, Agura, you okay?" Sherman asked me, snapping me out of it.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine." I said to him. "Just…worried about Axel. I've never seen him like this."

"Tell me about it." Stanford said to me. "Darn bloat took my beautiful Mari down to the base like a blasted brute."

"Oh, don't worry." Spinner said to me. "I'm sure he's cooled off by now."

By the sound of the bell, we all looked to see Axel and Vert walk in, Vert looking like he calmed down why Axel still looked mad.

"Axel, Vert, about before…" I said before Vert interrupted me.

"Guys, don't worry about it." Vert said to us.

"Really?" Spinner said as we were all surprised.

"Really." Vert said to us. "See, after I finished washing all the squid goop out of my hair, I thought 'Relax, Vert. The important thing is that we learned to survive as a team'."

"Speaking of team, where's Trust and the others?" Zoom asked before we all looked to the door as we heard the bell and saw Basar and the others walking in like they've been through a brawl, all five of them groaning like it too. That really shocked us.

"Big bro! /Mari!" Zoom and Stanford said as they ran over to them and helped Mari and Trust walk over to the table, Zoom helping Trustin and Stanford helping Mari.

"What happened to you guys?" I said to them as me, Sherman, and Spinner then went over and help the others to the table.

"Axel went all drill sergeant on us." Jay said after we got them seated, all of them sounding like they were injured pretty bad. "That's what happened."

"Yeah, Axel made all of us fight him through 10 sparing matches." Basar said to me, shocking me. "And he didn't hold back on his punches."

"Okay," Grace said as she came around with our orders. "I got a veggie special with pepperoni, a hold-the-pepperoni, an extra pepperoni, one dragon-breath-sauce pizza, and a club sandwich, extra pickles."

"Uh…hi." Vert said to Grace, who just smiled before she walked off.

"Well, if it isn't Axel Frank." Zeke said as he came out from the kitchen. Looked like he didn't seem to notice Axel's bad mood. "What can I get ya?"

"A slice of plain cheese pizza and a glass of water." Axel said without even raising his head, which is when Zeke gave a look of surprise before giving a clam smile.

"Let me guess: had a rough day?" Zeke asked, only getting a scoff from Axel. "Should've guessed, especially with how some of your friends look." Basar and the rest of the elementals in our team groaned when he said that. "Hold on, I just got the thing for this." He then went on back into the kitchen, which is when we started hearing all kinds of strange stuff going on back there. After a while he came back out with six drinks. When he got to the table, he gave five of those drinks to Basar and the others. "Here you go. This oughta help with those bruises."

"A couple of sodas?" Jay asked, confused by this. I didn't really get this either.

"Oh, those aren't sodas." Zeke said before he then left with the last soda, going behind the counter.

We all watched as Basar took one of those drink and drank some of it. Just after one sip, his eyes widened up.

"Hey, this isn't a soda." Basar said right before Mari decided to take one of the drinks and sipped it herself.

"Hey, Basar's right. It's not soda, it's…" Mari said and she took another sip to get another taste. Yeah, Mari's been the one to be able to tell whatever kind of food or drink was around. Once saw her figure out the flavors of twelve different flavors of ice cream blindfolded. "It's a smoothie!"

"A smoothie?" Trust said as we were all surprised by this. "Since when does Zeke make smoothies?"

"Who cares?" Mari said as she started drinking her smoothie, sounding like her old self again. "These things are good!"

As she kept on drinking, the others then grabbed the other three smoothies and me and the guys watched as those five started drinking their smoothies. If it was good enough where Mari was back to smiling again, then it must've been really good.

"Um…I didn't order a smoothie." Axel said as we all looked and saw him still sitting there with the last smoothie right in front of him.

"Oh, I know. I just think you need this." Zeke said, still having that same smile. "Consider it on the house."

Axel looked at it for a little while. Guess he wasn't sure whether to try it or not. He was always someone to get suspicious of things. For a second there, I thought he wasn't gonna take it. Up until he actually took a sip from it. Just from one sip, I saw him start drinking it.

"Feeling better now?" Zeke asked as Axel was done drinking.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do." Axel said to him, actually smiling.

"Knew that would work." Zeke said. "Worked every time whenever your dad got upset."

"Wait, you mean my dad drank these smoothies?" Axel said, surprised by this.

I should've guessed. Zeke must've had experience with dealing with an angry Frank with Axel's father around. It had been so long since we learned he lived around here that I forgot.

"Of course." Zeke said as he then started talking about Axel's father. "Whenever he would come here with that long face, his little group of friends would come in here much like the ones you have right there behind ya."

No doubt he was talking about Basar and the others. Though they weren't really paying attention, what Axel asked was what got them to listen to Zeke.

"Those friends of my dad," Axel said to him, "their last names would've happened to be Blood, Gray, Mock, Kelsch, and Richey, would it?"

"Most of them, yes." Zeke answered him. "I don't think there was anyone with the name Richey. Though I think there was a girl named Bea."

"Wait, Bea?" Jay said with surprise, making us all look at him. "As in Bea Frost?"

"Well, yes." Zeke answered him. "Pretty much the sweetest girl I ever met. Do you happen to know her?"

"Yeah, she's my mom." Jay said to him.

"Oh, you're Bea's kid huh?" Zeke said with surprise.

"And the others Axel asked about?" Basar said to Zeke. "Trich, Trust, Mari, and me are their kids."

"Well, would you look at that?" Zeke said. "The kids of Jamey and his friends in my diner. Feels like old times."

"Speaking of which, I wanted to ask you something." Axel said to him. "If my dad really lived here, do you happen to know what he was like?"

"Why, of course." Zeke said. "He was one of my best customers. Heck, if it weren't for him, I wouldn't be in business at all."

"Really?" Axel said. Even I was surprised to hear that.

"Yeah. He managed to help me build this place and get it going." Zeke said. "He helped lots of people here in Handler's Corner. We called him 'Helper Jamey'. No matter what, he was always helping others and smiling that grin of his." Zeke chuckled a bit before he started talking again. "Boy, did he have such a grin. Everybody loved him."

"Wow. I had no idea." Axel said with a smile.

I had to bet that really made his day right there. He would always like to hear about his parents. For as long as I've known him, Axel always wanted to know more about his parents, especially what they were like. He said it makes him feel like he was closer to them.

"Yeah, and just about every girl wanted him," Zeke said right before he said the one thing that actually surprised Axel, "but he only had eyes for one gal and that gal was Tricia."

"You know my mother too?" Axel asked him.

Yeah, the one person Axel wanted to know the most was his mother. He barely even knew here and he wasn't able to find much people who knew her or her family. No doubt he was gonna take this chance to get to know her.

"Ohhhh, so Tricia's your mom huh?" Zeke said to him. "Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. With how those two were, I would see them getting married and at least having a kid."

"Um…three actually." Axel said to him. "I have two older sisters."

"Three? Now that is a surprise." Zeke said, surprised to hear that. "Never thought of hearing old Jamey having three kids."

"Yeah, I bet." Axel said to him. "So do you happen to know what my mother was like?"

"Well, she was quite a gal, that's for sure." Zeke said. "She was a sweet, smart, young girl. Though she was bit strange, but Jamey loved her."

"Is there anything else about her?" Axel asked him. "Do you happen to know if she lived around here or had any family before she met my dad?"

"Well…gosh." Zeke said as he then started looking a little confused. "I'm don't think there's much I can tell ya. I'm sorry." I then watched as Axel started to sulk right before Zeke kept on talking. "Yeah, not much I can say about her. Especially with the way she was back then."

"What do you mean?" Axel asked him, straightening up. Even I was curious about this.

"Well, to tell you the truth, Tricia barely had much to tell her about herself." Zeke said to him. "The poor girl suffered from amnesia."

"Amnesia?" Axel said to him. "You mean, she didn't really know much about herself?"

"Yeah, she didn't know where she was from or who her family was." Zeke said to him. "The only person who would be able to tell you any more about her is Jamey since he was the one who found her."

"He found her? Where?"

"Out in the salt flats. Jamey found her unconscious on one of his nightly walks."

"All the way out there? What was she doing there?"

"Don't know. Neither your dad or your mom talk about it. Though I think they weren't talking because I knew what happened."

"And what was that?"

"I believe your mom was abducted by aliens and whatever weird experiments they did on her made her lose her memory."

It was a little quiet for a moment. Of course, Zeke would go around with an alien theory for that. Though I doubt Axel was actually gonna believe that. None of would have believed that. We had dealt with some crazy stuff but even that's a bit over the top.

"Okay." Axel said, no doubt weirded out by what Zeke said before getting out of his seat. "Well, thank you for the talk. I really appreciate it."

"Any time." Zeke said to him. "Hey, if you got the time, you can tell me all about how your folks are doing."

"Right. Cool." Axel reluctantly said with a smile right before he went on talking to us. "Basar, guys, I'm sorry for getting so rough with you. I never should've put my anger out on you guys."

"Don't worry about it, bud." Basar said to him. "All's forgiven."

"Yes, let's let bygones be bygones, shall we?" Stanford said.

"I'm not apologizing to you or BF5, Stanford." Axel said to him with a scowl. "I'm not mad anymore, but I'm still disappointed in how this team's been acting lately. I hate to say it, Agura, but you and the guys have become careless with your actions, especially around the rest of us."

"What are you talking about?" Spinner said to him. "We're doing fine. The world's safe, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but your competitiveness with each other has cause some complications in the team dynamic." Axel said. "You guys might be fine, but the rest of us are having trouble sorting through all that chaos. The only member of the team who's actually got his head straight is Vert. I mean, look what we got here. One meal, five different pizzas."

"And a club sandwich, extra pickles." Sherm said.

"That's not the point, Sherman." Axel said. "You guys get along so well around Handler's Corner. You need to stop competing amongst yourselves and start working together to achieve the task at hand."

"Axel's right." Vert said. "We need to come up with some plans, battle plans to be exact." He then grabbed the salt and pepper shakers, the napkin dispenser, Stanford's drink, and Mari's smoothing and put then in a V-formation. "The sooner we start working as a team, the sooner…"

"Battle plans, teamwork. Brilliant." Stanford sarcastically said as he took back his drink, a comment that made me and the guys chuckle. "Now can we please eat?"

"Okay," Vert said to us, "but as soon as we're all finished eating, we're hitting the flats for some practice."

None of us we're actually happy about that as he and Axel started walking to the door.

"Wait, you said _after _we've eaten, right?" Spinner said with a smug.

"Yeah." Vert said, unsure what he meant.

"Hey, Grace!" Spinner said towards the kitchen. "We're gonna need some fresh 'za!"

"Grace, cancel that order!" Axel said as he came over to the table. "Spinner," When he stared at Spinner, he was glaring with green Fire Dragon eyes, which meant a silent threat from him, "do you want to test your luck with me right now?"

"Uh…n-no, sir." Spinner said, now scared of him.

"Good." Axel said as he returned his eyes to normal. "Now all of you, finish what you have now and get back to your vehicles for practice. Me and Vert will be waiting right outside."

As Axel and Vert walked out of the diner, me and the others were shocked by the threat from Axel. He barely reveals those dragon eyes of his unless he really means it.

* * *

**Axel's view**

After the rest of our teammates were done eating, we all headed back to the garage and went over some new battle plans. With BF5 alongside us, the Element Gang was gonna need new tactics to where we all can be able to do our parts and help each other. Vert and I had come up with some for our teams separately and together.

"I call this 'The Flying Wedge'." Vert said as he projected the strategy for BF5 from his specs. "Say either me or Axel secured a Battle Key, but there's a wall of deadly Sark in front of us, one neither of us can pass." I said and letting Vert finish it. All we have to do is form a wedge…"

"What with the X's and O's?" the youngest member of the group asked, interrupting Vert.

"Hugs and kisses." Spinner said, hugging himself before he started speaking sarcastically and hugging his little brother. "What are we gonna do, Vert? Hug the Sark to death?"

After Sherman pushed Spinner off of him, I then said "It's a battle strategy board! The O's are us and the X's are our enemies. It's classic." I then looked and saw Stanford had dozed off. "Stanford!" With that yell of mine, he woke up as I glared at him. "You got the Key…"

"Hey, why do you get the Battle Key?" Zoom said to Stanford, interrupting me. I want to hold the Battle Key!"

"Sorry, mine." Stanford said to him, smugly.

"Why are Sherm and me on the end?" Spinner said to me and Vert. "We should be in the middle."

"Hey, let them talk, guys." Agura said, allowing me and Vert to talk.

"Thank you, Agura." I said to her in appreciation, before continuing with the strategy plan. "Now, Stanford…"

"I thought it was 'The Flying Wedgie'." Spinner jokingly said, interrupting me. "That's why I didn't want anybody behind us."

**Basar's view**

While Spinner and the rest of BF5 (except Vert, of course) laughed at that joke while the rest of us we're not really in the mood for jokes now after what had just happened, I looked over and saw that Axel's eye was twitching again and he puffed how some black smoke from his nose. That was a definite sign that this was ticking him off.

**Axel's view**

"Hey, guys, focus." Vert calmly said, getting his team to stop laughing. "When the pedal hits the metal, we can just follow the playbook."

"There's a playbook?" Spinner asked Sherm, who shrugged with much confusion as he did. There I had to say it.

"Yeah, of course, there's a playbook." I said, getting everyone's attention. "How do you think we got our way through before BF5? We all practiced the plans we came up with each other, like with our power moves."

"Speaking of practice, what say we train in a real Battle Zone?" Stanford said as he walked up to me and Vert.

"Sorry, we need to train in a safe environment," Vert said to him, "and a real Battle Zone is too dangerous."

"Vert's right. There's no telling what we might find in the Battle Zone we go to." I said to Stanford. "Plus we'll be leaving ourselves exposed to the Vandals and Sark, especially if we mess it up."

"Not if it's one we've already secured." Stanford said with a smug smile before shocking me by pulling out a Battle Key. "Like…tropical beach Battle Zone."

"Really, Stanford?" I said to him, skeptical about the idea.

"Think about it." Stanford said, getting the rest of BF5 (except for Vert) to start day-dreaming. "Clear blue water, white sandy beaches. All in favor?"

"Yeah!" Agura and the others said, voting on it.

"The beach sounds good to me." Trustin said, liking the idea.

"Yeah, I can get some practice with my Wave Rider on the open water." Jay said, making a good point.

"And I can practice my digging." Basar said, making another good point as we would need his digging skills. "I haven't gotten much digging lately and I could use the exercise."

"And me and Mari can practice our flying with both our powers and along with our vehicles." Tricha said as she made a good point.

"Okay, okay." Vert said as him and me then agreed to it. "But this is not a vacation. We're going there to train."

"Yeah, and I have to ask, Stanford." I said as I got that spike-hair Brit's attention. "Are you sure you got the right Battle Key?"

"Of course. Don't worry, my chap." Stanford said before walking over to get into the Reverb. "Tropical beach, here we come!"

* * *

After getting through the portal, we got to the Battle Zone, but it was not the beach, it was a desolate Battle Zone that was nowhere near an ocean and had dust instead of sand. With this, Zoom went on to check the place.

"Stanford, please tell me you didn't consult with Sage before you went to the vault?" I asked Stanford.

"Um…whoops." Stanford said just as it started to rain.

"Way to go, Stanford." Jay said to him, just as ticked off as I was. "You grabbed the wrong Battle Key."

"Sorry, the Battle Keys all look the same." Stanford said to us.

"Stanford, why do you think we need to talk to Sage about taking the Keys from the vault?" I said to him, angry with him for not thinking things through. "She's the only one we know who can tell those Battle Keys apart."

"Okay, so Stanford blew it, but it's not the end of the world." Vert said, trying to stop a fight before it can begin.

"Sure looks like it." Spinner said as we got a look at the place.

"Um, anyone else getting déjà vu around here?" Trust said as I was getting that feeling as well.

"Isn't this the Battle Zone where first fought the Sark with Vert?" Basar asked.

"Yeah, it is." I said, realizing that it was the Battle Zone, the same one where Vert had his first encounter with the Sark.

"Yeah, we cleared this place of Sark months ago." Vert said to where I needed to correct him.

"Vert, we didn't clear it of Sark, it was your first battle with them." I said to him. "More like they cleared us out it."

"Yeah, don't remind me." Basar said as he groaned in depression. "Still can't believe we had to run away from those bolt-brains."

"At least we made it out with our lives." I said to him.

"This is a much cooler place to train in anyway." Agura sarcastically said.

"Yeah, if you like an abandoned New York City." Jay said as Zoom came back, grinding on the street railing.

"Definitely has some good grindage!" Zoom said, liking the place.

"Guys, we came here to work on our teamwork, not our tans." Vert said to the others.

"Vert's right." I said to them. "If we're ever gonna ensure that the Earth is safe, we need to work on our battle plans."

"Which plan are we practicing?" Sherm asked.

"The wedge." Vert said, feeling a little embarrassed. "Uh…it's all I got."

"Yeah, Vert and I mostly did battle plans with both Element Gang and BF5." I admitted, feeling embarrassed myself. "The Flying Edge is the only one that we came up with that can work with BF5 right now."

"Wow, you only coming up with only one battle plan?" Basar said to me as he chuckled. "That's so unlike you!"

I glared at him for a moment before hearing some revving and looked to see something driving down the hill and going down the road.

"What are those things?" Vert asked as we all saw them.

"Sherman, are those things…?" I asked the younger Cortez Brother as he use the binoculars to get a better view.

"Yeah, definitely Sark technology." Sherman said, confirming what I was afraid of.

"What kind of Sark were those?" Basar asked and he was right to be concern.

None of us had ever seen that kind of model before. Getting a good look for myself, I saw they were some kind of mini-drone Sark with a diplopod body on top of a small blue wheel and two three appendages arms on sides of the wheel.

"Better yet, how there Sark still here?" Trustin asked and there I realized it.

"Oh, crud!" I said as I knew what the presence of Sark in a cleared Battle Zone. "The Sark must've built a factory in this Zone."

"A factory? What are you talking about?" Vert asked me.

"Yeah, what are you talking about?" Basar asked me as I remembered that he and the others haven't been facing the Sark as much as I have.

"I dealt with this before." I said as I explained. "When the Sark come to a Battle Zone void of anything but themselves, they would build a factory in order to increase their forces. One time I came to a Battle Zone that the Sark chased me out of and found a whole army of Zurk waiting for me. When they cleared us out, the Sark must've built their factory. As long as it's still here, they've now claimed this Zone."

"Okay, I see why they have Sark here, but what would they need a new model for?" Basar asked as I was wondering the same thing.

"I have no idea, but we have to get rid of them before they tell the rest of the Sark that we're here." I said before getting to one of the important objectives. "Who's got the Battle Key?"

"I have the Battle Key." Stanford said as he held up the Key before one of those Sark came in and tripped him, making him drop the Key before it grabbed the Key and took off. "Make that I _had_ the Battle Key."

"Get it back," Vert said as we all got back to our vehicles, "otherwise we could be stuck in here forever."

"Hey, bug-eye! Give me back the Key!" Zoom said as he then went off after the Sark.

"Wait, Zoom!" Vert said, trying to stop him.

"Zoom, get back here!" I said to him, but I wasn't able to make him stop either.

"Zoom will catch it." Spinner said as we all went after the Sark with Zoom.

"Yeah, but I got a feeling that if it is Sark…" I said before the Sark stopped and whole bunch of those mini-drone Sark appeared behind it, "it's not alone."

"Keep your eyes on the Key." Vert said to us over the comm as that mini-drone placed the Battle Key in it's carapace before it started moving back to the back of it's group.

Seemed easy enough as the Key's light shined like a car's taillight. Even Zoom thought it with that look of determination of his.

"Got it. Got it. Got it." Zoom said as the other mini-drones suddenly turned on lights of their own, making the one we were after get lost in them.

"Lost it." Trustin said as Zoom pouted in frustration.

"Okay, guys." I said to the others with the use of the comm. "This is where the training comes in. Ready, guys?"

Just when I said that, those Sark started revving away and split up all directions behind them.

"They're getting away! Stop them!" Spinner said over the comm, most of BF5 to go after the Sark on their own.

"Guys, wait!" Vert said as he tried to stop them, but his words fell on deaf ears as his team went off blindly and scattered. "What happened to our…" I heard Vert sigh in disappointment as he was no doubt depressed that BF5 wasn't working as a team. "Plan."

We were all disappointed by how they were acting. Did the word "teamwork" not apply to them?

"Hey, guys, look!" Basar said as we all looked to the left and saw one of the mini-drones.

"The Key!" I said as I saw the mini-droid had the Battle Key. "The others were meant to distract us while this one gave us the slip with the Key."

"They were trying to send us on a wild goose chase while they got away with the Key." Basar said, figuring it out.

"Hey, it's getting away!" Trustin said as the mini-droid then revved away.

"Okay, guys, here's the plan." I said to Basar and the others. "Vert and I will go after the Key. The rest of you, go and get the others and bring them back here. If my hunch is correct, that Sark will lead us straight to the factory. Basar, you go after the Cortez Brothers."

"You got it, cap!" Basar said to me.

"Trich, Jay, track down Agura."

"We're on it!" Jay said, affirming for both him and Trich.

"Mari, go and get that boyfriend of yours back as soon as possible."

"Okey-dokey!" Mari said to me, speaking in that cheerful manner of hers.

"And Trust, see if you can get Zoom to backtrack."

"Don't worry, I'll be back with my little bro before you know it." Trust said to me.

"We'll send you the coordinates once me and Vert find out where the Sark is going. Go!" I said as we all then drove off, with Basar and the others going after the rest of BF5 while me and Vert went after the Key.

* * *

**No one's view**

Meanwhile, with Agura, she was still looking for the Sark. She then stopped at a rock mound amongst a bridge support.

"Hmm. Need to get to higher ground." Agura said as she then drove the Tangler on the rock mound, activating its claws and starting to climb it.

Sometime after, she managed to climb to the bottom of a highway road and held there as a group of the mini-droid Sark were heading towards her.

"That's it." Agura said to herself as she was ready to attack the approaching Sark. "Right into my trap."

* * *

**Jay's view**

After splitting off, me and Trich kept our eyes peeled for any sign of Agura. Trust me, it was harder than it looked. For all the roles she had to have, it had to be the hunter. Couldn't she have been something easier to find?

"Trich, do you see her?" I asked Trich as we drove down the road.

"No." Trich said, sounding worried. "Oh, where can that dear be?"

"Dear?" I said, seeing that was not the word I would use for her. "Now Agura is a lot of things, but not that."

"Now, Jay," Trich said to me, "Agura may be a little…rough around the edges."

"The girl beat your boyfriend at arm-wrestling, beat-up Vandals and scrapped Sark, and had just about everybody afraid of her in high school." I said to her, pointing out of how she was in the past. "If anything that woman is a menace."

"Oh, pish-posh. It is true that Agura can be a ruffian at times, but it does not mean she is one." Trich said to me. "She has a beautiful heart and knows how to express her kindness. Axel knows this and it is why I believe that under that tomboyish persona is a proper lady."

Just as she said that, we then looked and saw something jump off the bottom of a highway we're heading for, landing in front of us. When we saw it making large dust cloud, there was no doubt that was Agura over there.

"You were saying, Trich?" I said to her, feeling pretty good about being right.

"I still stand on my beliefs." Trich said to me before we drove over to her.

* * *

**No one's view**

Back with Agura, she continued her attack on the Sark, smiling with an intense expression.

"Don't tangle with the Tangler!" Agura said as she then used the Tangler's grappling hook to catch the last Sark, which broke from the hook closing in on the retraction.

After destroying the Sark, she then exited the Tangler to examine the wreckage and recover the Battle Key.

"Hm. No Battle Key." She said after she examined the wreck and found it void of the Battle Key.

* * *

**Jay's view**

After we managed to get close enough, we saw a bunch of bits and pieces of Sark and loose wheels all over the place. Agura was starting to look like a menace right about now. We both stopped and left over vehicles as Agura stood up and turned to us.

"See you having some fun here, Agura." I said to her as me and Trich walked over to her.

"What? You wishing I left some for ya?" Agura sarcastically said to me.

When we heard some revving we looked ahead and saw some of those Sark coming right at us.

"Uh-oh." I said, a little worried we wouldn't be able to beat them.

Just when I said that, Zoom came over in the Chopper, somehow managed to jump over us, and scrapped those Sark with a simple grind.

"Ha-ha! Own age!" Zoom said before he caught a falling piece of one of those Sark.

"Nice moves, little bro!" Trustin said as he hovered over to us on the Ice Bike.

"Thanks for the save." I said to Zoom as we walked over to him and his brother.

"Any luck?" Agura asked him.

"Negative on the Battle Key." Zoom said, doing a robot impression with the Sark part which turned out to be an eye before he laughed at the joke he was making.

Though Agura found it funny, the rest of us weren't really into hearing jokes right now.

"And you guys or the others will find it chasing these mini-bucket heads." I said to them.

"Yeah, you're going on a wild goose chase." Trust said to them. "The real one tried to give us the slip. Axel and Vert are chasing it right now."

"Then let's go help them get that Sark!" Zoom said as he tried to rev off before Trust stopped him.

"Hold it right there!" Trust said to him. "You two aren't going anywhere. _We _are going back and staying there until Axel gives the word."

"What? Why?" Zoom asked.

"Because Axel and Vert are following it and don't want to get caught." Trust said to him.

"Yeah, he thinks it'll lead us to the factory making them." I said. "Of course, we would all be going with them, but instead those two had to go alone while we have to go and get you guys instead!"

With Zoom and Agura giving me wide-eyes, I had to guess me yelling must've surprised them as I don't usually yell like that. The way I did made me sound like Axel.

"I'm sorry to say this, but Jay is right." Trich said to them, making them look down in shame. "It was unwise to pursue an enemy like that, especially when we don't know what they are capable of."

"This is what Axel was talking about." Agura said as we looked at her. "We were being careless."

"Yeah, guess that's why him and Vert had those battle plans, huh?" Zoom said as he rubbed his neck nervously.

"Oh, don't beat yourselves up. You're still learning." Trust said to them. "Let's all just head back and wait for Axel and Vert to give the signal."

With that, we all then got back to our rides and drove off to meet up with the others.

* * *

**Axel's view**

After a while of following that Sark, we watched as two more of those mini-drones showed up behind it. Now it had to be going somewhere important if it was being escorted. After its escorts showed up, they stopped at this strange structure. Using my specs, I got a closer look as a hanger door opened up and more of those mini-drones came out of it and the trio went in.

"That must lead to the Sark factory." I said as I recognized the Sark entrance tunnel.

"Must be a popular party there." Vert said to me, setting up a one-liner.

"Yeah, too bad we have to crash it." I said as I finished the one-liner and we drove off down to the entrance.

"Hold the door!" Vert said after we managed to get through.

After we reached the other end, we found ourselves in an area made of Sark tech. After managing to get to a safe place undetected, we got out of our vehicles and got a better look around.

"Axel, what is this place?" Vert said, wondering where we were.

"Where else?" I said as we looked down at the floor below us. "It's the Sark factory."

* * *

**Basar's view**

After managing to get the Cortez Brothers and Stanford back, me and Mari waited for the others. It took a while, but we saw them drive over to us.

"Geez, what took you guys?" I said to them as I didn't want to be sitting around.

"Well, it's like that it was easy finding Zoom and Agura." Trust said to me. "They are a scout and a hunter after."

"He does make a point." Stanford said over the comm. "Coming from my own personal experience on the matter, looking for them is like looking for a needle in a haystack and, as royalty, I stay away from haystacks."

"Any word from Axel and Vert?" Trust asked me.

"No, haven't heard from them yet." I said to him as none of us heard from the team leaders since we got back.

"They're probably busy making one of their master plans or something." Stanford said.

"Got a beacon on them." Sherm said as we all listened in. "Their signals are weak, like they're coming from inside a structure."

"Structure?" I said before I realized it. "They must be in the factory Axel was talking about!"

"Which means the Battle Key must be there too." Trust said with worry.

"Do you think they got it back?" Jay asked.

"Let's hope so." Agura said over the comm. "Because, if they didn't, the enemy can use the Key to break through to Earth."

"I'll try my communicator to see what's going on." I said as I then began using the comm. "Vert? Axel?"

* * *

**Axel's view**

As the factory continued to create more of those mini-drones, the model of Sark deploying right off the conveyor belt, me and Vert looked around for the Battle Key.

"Whoa! So this is a Sark factory." Vert said, surprised by this.

"Yeah. Places like this are where they make Zurk, dozens of them being built by the minute." I said as we kept an eye out for the Key. "We need destroy this place or else we'll lose the Battle Zone to the Sark."

"Axel, look!" Vert said to me as I then looked where he was pointing at.

Using my specs, I looked to see four of those mini-drones with three surrounding one. Looking to the one in the middle, I saw what it was holding and realized it was the Sark we were after.

"The Key!" I said before those mini-drones stopped.

I then watched as the one with the Key then used it to open a portal. Through it came some of the Sark elites.

"Zemerik." Vert said as I saw him glaring at the three. "I should've known he'd show his ugly face."

"Yeah, and he brought Specter and Pluto with him." I said as we watched the three exit their vehicles, seeing it as our time to get back to our own vehicles.

We watched as the three then walked over to the center and got a look around, the portal still open behind them and those mini-drones bowing to Zemerik as he passed.

* * *

**Specter's view**

Getting a good look around the factory, I was somewhat pleased to see that it hadn't been reduced to a pile of scrap. I had no doubt this pleased Lord Zemerik as we still had Zurk waiting for us in this Battle Zone. This also had to bring satisfaction to Pluto that his own model of Zurk had managed to keep the factory hidden from our enemies. Though I still had doubts that this would be able to last, seeing how it is with that Fire Dragon Axel.

"Ahhh, just like I remember it." Lord Zemerik said, speaking with a look of satisfaction.

"Yes, it seems that it has managed to stay secure." I said, still having mixed emotions while trying my best not to show it.

"Exactly as I predicted." Pluto said, sounding very proud of himself as one of the Mini-Zurk came around and he kneeled down and petted it. "The Mini-Zurk's design may not be the most durable, but it allows them to be more evasive and clear of any detection. They even managed to gain a Battle Key in the process."

"Yes, but if you haven't forgotten, Pluto, this Battle Zone's Battle Key was taken by the Element Gang." I said, letting the doubt sound through my voice which had caused Pluto to stand up and glare at me. "For one of these Mini-Zurk to return with it means that the Element Gang have returned and will surely find us soon."

"Do not concern yourself with those troublesome organics, Specter. They may have thwarted our plans before before, but we have improved from that, especially to the attempts of the Fire Dragon." Lord Zemerik said to me. "By the time the Element Gang discover the location of this facility, they will not be able to stop the inevitable." Pluto and I then watched as our glorious leader began speaking towards the portal, our army waiting for his orders back on Sark. "This Battle Zone is our path to Earth. We have the Key! Prepare to attack!"

"Not so fast, Zemerik!" A voice yelled out as we looked to see two vehicles drive off the edge of a floor above us.

Getting a good look as those vehicles, especially who were driving them, I saw that it was that Fire Dragon pest and that human that helped them get the Key from us.

"It's Axel and that human!" I said before the human took the Key, closing the portal and cutting off our army before they could enter the Battle Zone.

I knew this was going to happen. Axel has far more experience with the Sark than anyone on his team or any of those human allies he's got. Of course he would be able to sniff out the factory within a heartbeat.

"Clear of detection, huh?" I said to Pluto with a raised brow, my chief scientist gave me a look of worry as our enemy drove off with the Key.

"Organics." Our lord said in anger as we looked at him. "They will pay!" he then looked at us, surprising us. "After them!"

"Yes, Lord Zemerik!" I said as me and Pluto returned to our vehicles and began chasing those two pests.

"Mini-Zurk, mobilize and retrieve the Key!" Pluto said, causing all the Mini-Zurk to go after the organics as well.

* * *

**Axel's view**

After managing to get the Key back, Vert and I then tried to find a way out of the factory. If we were ever gonna get rid of the factory, we were gonna need to regroup with the others. Though due to the infrastructure of this factory being unknown to us, it wasn't easy navigating through it.

"Darn it, dead end." I said before me and Vert then went to backtrack and keep looking for the exit, but stopped when we saw Specter and Pluto heading for us.

"Uh-oh." Vert said as the two parked in front of us.

"Nowhere left to run now." Specter said to us as a bunch of those Mini-Zurk as they called them joined them. It was only a moment until Zemerik joined them as well, right between Specter and Pluto.

"Organics, you cannot win." Zemerik said to us.

"Funny, that's what you said the last time you got me cornered when," I said with a smug look on my face, "oh, yeah, I won. And we won in this Battle Zone as well." That's when I decided to move on to the next subject. "See you got yourself a new factory."

"I stayed and had this factory built from our defeat," Zemerik said to us, "waiting patiently for the fallibility that you might return. I even allowed Pluto to program the factory to build a new model of Zurk that would be able to retrieve the Battle Key without detection."

Vert chuckled before he said "You guys don't really have lives, do you?"

"Joke all you want, it doesn't change the fact that you are now trapped and outnumbered." Specter said to us. "Surrender the Battle Key and we will let you witness the magnificently efficient Sark invasion."

"A tempting offer, chrome-dome, but…" Vert said as we both activated our vehicles weapons. "I just don't see you and us hanging out."

"So be it." Specter said as he and his fellow Sark activated their vehicles blades, ready to attack.

After the Mini-Zurk started coming at us, me and Vert then hit the gas and drove right through them. When we got close to the three Sark, me and Vert went around them and Vert used the Saber's blades to cut the wall beside him, causing it to fall on top of the three.

"See ya later, tin cans!" I said to the three as me and Vert drove off.

* * *

**Specter's view**

After hearing that, me and Pluto used our powers to clear the rubble off us and our glorious, returned to our Zentners and drove after those miserable organics.

* * *

**Axel's view**

After getting enough distance from Zemerik and those Terror-kinetics, we returned to looking for the exit. Though it wasn't long until a little robot arm showed up on the Fire Cycle's hood.

"Hey! Get off!" I said as two more appeared behind me, before I looked to see some on the Saber too.

"Determined little guys, aren't they?" Vert said to me.

"Yeah, no kidding." I said before I started smacking of the Zurk off, using a metal whip on the one on my hood and using my tail to get rid of the ones in the back, while Vert did a 360-spin to knock of those mini-tin cans.

Just when we got rid of all those Mini-Zurk, we turned off our vehicles weapon systems just before we looked and saw Zemerik and his goons park right in front of us. With this, we were forced to take a U-turn and tried to escape them again.

I heard Zemerik laugh before "You cannot escape the Sark!"

With a crack of a whip, we then watched as a part of the walkway we were on gave way. We tried to stop, but it was too late and we fell right off. Luckily, a pile of scrap broke our fall. Though it wasn't over as we saw the walls closing in on us and we saw that we landed in a scrap metal compactor. I tried to get out, but the crushing metal around us pinned my foot and I couldn't get it out. The metal surround it was embedded with Vengestone so I couldn't use my powers to remove it. With the walls closing in, me and Vert were basically trapped and would soon flattened with our vehicles.

* * *

**Specter's view**

With seeing how we've now gotten the two leaders trapped in the compactor, I truly was smiling that soon the pest would be no more and I will be one step closer on getting revenge on all the elementals responsible for all the pain and suffering I endured.

"Now this is quite a _crushing _defeat." I said as me and Pluto started laughing for the Sark's first triumph over the organics.

We then went over with Lord Zemerik to the compactor as it continued to crush the organics, a sight that continued to put a smile on my face even as we left our vehicles.

"I will have the Battle Key now." Our lord said as he then took the Key from the human before the three of us returned to our vehicles.

"You won't get away with this, Zemerik!" That pest said to our glorious leader, still thinking there was a chance for him to stop the Sark.

"Yeah, our team will stop you!" the human said, no doubt thinking the same.

"Team?" Pluto said, just as skeptical as I was on the use of that word to describe that group of incompetent misfits. "I would believe that is a term more suit for those elementals than those other humans."

"Pluto is quite correct, organic." Lord Zemerik said, no doubt speaking to the human. "As much as I despise admitting this, the Element Gang's cooperation haves proven to be superior compared to that of you and the other humans. You are incapable of acting together."

"Yes, our lord and master is quite correct." I said, speaking to that human. "How can you stop millions of Sark who work with one single purpose?"

After returning to our vehicles, we then connected ourselves to their systems which allowed us to operate them at full capacity. This is why we are superior to organics in every way. For we think with one mind, one purpose, while the organics are stuck within their own chaos of their inferior thoughts.

We are the mighty! We are the Sark!

* * *

**Axel's view**

"We are the ultimate team." The three Sark said together simultaneously as the compactor continued to crush us.

"We are superior! We are one! We are Sark!" Specter and Pluto said at the same time, exclaiming out as they thought they'd won.

"A real team is more than that, Zemerik!" Vert said to the Sark leader.

"He's right! Being a team is more than just working together, it's about trust in one another." I said to Zemerik, telling him the true meaning of being a team. "We all have differences that might seem to counter each other, but those differences are understandable and are what make a team strong! And that's one thing you tin cans will never know."

"And those ideals are what make you inferior to the Sark in every way. Remember when I said we would allow you two to witness the invasion?" Specter said before he, Zemerik, and Pluto started driving away. "I lied."

"I hope the others get here soon." I said, hoping the others find us before it was too late as the walls kept on closing in.

* * *

**Basar's view**

After driving for a while, we got to where Axel and Vert's signals were coming from and found ourselves at some kind of metal door.

"You sure these are the right coordinates?" Stanford asking, sounding a little scared right there.

"Hey! My brother says it's here, it's here." Spinner said, defending his brother before he whispered "You sure it's here?"

He sounded just as scared as Stanford. Couldn't blame either of them. The place looked as creepy as heck, but we needed to make sure that Axel and Vert were okay. They didn't answer their comms so something had to be wrong.

"Guys, I know you're scared, I'm not feeling too good about this place either." I said to BF5. "But we need to find Axel and Vert. They didn't answer their comms, so something must be wrong."

"Basar's right." Agura said to them. "We need to pull it together, guys."

"Hey, Sherman!" Zoom said as we looked to him. "Knock on the door, see if anyone's home."

"Oh, I like that idea!" I said, knowing it meant tearing down the door.

Sherman laughed excitedly before he said "This is the fun part."

"Yeah, let's tear this thing down!" I said before Sherman fired a mace and smashed a giant hole into the door.

* * *

**Axel's view**

After those Sark were out of sight, me and Vert tried to get out of the compactor kept on trying to crush us, but it seemed like there was no way out of this.

"Blades engage?" Vert said as he tried to activate the Saber's weapon systems, but there wasn't enough space for it to convert itself. "No go. Come on, Saber."

"Vert, stop! It's not gonna work!" I said as I got Vert to stop. "The compactor is making the place for the Saber to engage. Also, with being this close to it, you might get me pinned in your car."

"Vert, Axel, come in!" I heard Basar's voice coming from my comm.

"Basar, is that you?" I said as me and Vert were happy to hear his voice.

"Yeah, and the others are with me too." Basar said to me.

"So this is the Sark factory, huh?" Jay said to me.

"Yeah, and we got some bad news." I said to him and the others. "Zemerik's got the Battle Key and Specter and Pluto are with him."

"The leader and the brains of the Terror-kinetics." Trustin said over the comm. "So do we have a plan here?"

"Yeah, what's the plan, coach?" Sherman said, no doubt speaking to Vert.

"Stop Zemerik and those Terror-kinetics." Vert said, speaking to our teammates. "We can't let them open the portal to the Sark home world or they'll lead their armies to Earth."

"Yeah, we go after them ourselves, but they pinned us down." I said as I was feeling more of the pressure from the compactor. "And soon we're gonna be added to the Sark scrapheap!"

* * *

**Basar's view**

After hearing that, we all knew what we needed to do. We would need to split up: one team to help Axel and Vert and the other to stop Zemerik and the Terror-kinetics.

"All right, guys. It's time for some teamwork!" Agura said.

"Yeah, you guys stop the Sark trio. Me and Agura will go find Axel and Vert. Go!" I said and we all went off with me and Agura looking for our team leaders while the others go after the Sark.

* * *

**Specter's view**

After leaving those organics to perish, me and Pluto watched as our leader opened the portal to Sark, our army waiting on the other side. The first to arrive were the rest of my Terror-kinetics and Zug.

"The legions are waiting, Zemerik." Zug said to our lord, making him smile.

"Yes, we all await your command, my lord." Mars said to him.

Finally, we had won. First, we take Earth, and then, the rest of the multiverse will belong to the Sark!

* * *

**Axel's view**

After a while of trying to keep the walls away, I was finally at my limit and was about to give in. It looked like we had reached the final page in our lives.

"Looks like this is it, Vert." I said to him, all ready to give up. "The end of the road for us."

"It's fine." Vert said, ready to give up as well. "I've thinking about downsizing anyway."

Just when I thought we were done for, the walls suddenly stopped which actually surprised us. Why did they stop?

"Huh? What the…?" I said, not sure what was going on.

"Axel, look!" Vert said as I then looked up and saw the Tangler above us, holding the walls back.

I then looked to the front of the compactor and saw the Rockwheeler doing the same. We were saved.

"Need a hand there, cap?" Basar said to me.

"Basar! Agura!" I said, relieved that they were able to save us. "Great timing!"

Thanks the two of them pushing back the walls, me and Vert were able to escape.

"You okay?" Agura said as she and Basar then got away from the compactor and parked beside us.

Before I could thank them, Vert went on and said "Where's the Battle Key?"

"A 'thank you for saving my life' would have been nice." Agura said to him.

"We're fine. Thanks for saving us, you two." I said to them. "So who's got the Battle Key?"

"The guys are on it." Basar said to me.

"I hope so." Vert said as he looked to the levels above.

I knew Vert was hoping that the others would be able to stop the Sark as I was doing the same.

* * *

**Specter's view**

"Ready yourself, Sark, for the Earth invasion!" Lord Zemerik said to us all as we were all ready to follow him to Earth.

It all seemed to be going according to plan until we hear vehicles approaching and looked behind us to see…the rest of the organics coming right at us. It was two of the humans along with that overgrown electrical-short.

"Ready _yourself_ for the British invasion!" one of the humans said as I then recognized that voice as that British ally of the Element Gang.

"Yeah! Time to put a shock to your systems!" the electric pest said as she and that British pest then fired on and blasted us, sending me and my Terror-kinetics back to Sark.

I had no doubt that Lord Zemerik was displeased with this.

* * *

**Jay's view**

I actually laughed after seeing Stanford and Mari blast Zug off the edge and send the Terror-kinetics back to Sark. With them gone, I went on and time my part by blasting my hydro-cannon, knocking Zug along with Zemerik's car off the edge. With that, it was time to put the next step of the plan into action. Zoom hooked the Chopper up to the Reverb and went hovering while Stanford turned, the two of them managing to knock the Battle Key out and close the portal.

* * *

**Axel's view**

After getting away from the compact, me, Agura, Vert, and Basar managed to get there just in time to see a plan go into action, especially with the Key landing in front of us.

"Well, will you look at that?" Vert said as he picked up the Key, impressed by BF5's teamwork.

We then watched as Zemerik jumped down to us, looking as mad as heck. Suddenly he jumped right at me and Vert, knocked us both to the ground, and took the Battle Key. Just when he thought he was winning, the Cortez Brothers came in and knocked Zemerik into a wall with a chain mace, knocking the Sark unconscious and getting the Battle Key back to Vert. just as Vert and I got back up, the Mini-Zurk started showing up around us.

"These odds just keep getting better and better." Vert said as we were surrounded by the Mini-Zurk.

"That would explain why Pluto made these Mini-Zurk." I said as I realized the reason for this type of Zurk. "They're easier to make. Even if we take down on large squadron, another one will be ready to take us down. These things can easily outnumber and overpower us."

"And the forge keeps making more!" Sherman said as we all watched the factory.

"Then let's blow this place up!" Basar said, getting excited by this. "It'll be as easy as pie, right, cap?"

"I wish I could say the same, but the last factory I blew up had _regular _Zurk." I said, seeing how it was impossible to blow it up like I did with the last one. "With these Mini-Zurk coming out of the woodworks by the dozen or even the hundreds, we won't be able to set up enough explosives to destroy it or even get out before they blow."

"Then what do we do?" Trustin asked.

"We blow up the forge." Vert said, coming up with a plan. "We blow the forge and let it take the factory with it."

"Of course!" I said, realizing what he was planning. "If we take out the forge, the whole factory will go with it! That will stop the construction process and even the odds!"

"But how do we get out of her before the whole place blows?" Basar asked, which made sense as we still had hordes of Mini-Zurk to deal with on the way out.

"By pulling together as a team and form The Flying Wedge to bust our way out of here!" Vert said.

"Could that really work?" Jay said to us. "We haven't even done that maneuver before."

"It's risky, but it's the only way we're ever gonna make our way out of this place and finally clearing this Battle Zone." I said, seeing as we didn't have much other options to go through and finding a way to add to the plan. "And I think I might know the right Element Gang maneuver to work with it. I'm in on the plan, Vert."

"Well, count me in on getting out." Spinner said. "I hate exploding."

"Stanford, Mari!" Agura said as the Mini-Zurk started closing in. "Some cover fire, please?"

"Okie-dokie!" Mari said as she and Stanford then used their cannons to blast way the Mini-Zurk.

The others managed to help out with Basar and Agura using the Rockwheeler and the Tangler to smash some of the Mini-Zurk, Jay using his water cannon to blast some away, Tricha using her powers to blow away some hordes, and Zoom and Trustin fighting the Mini-Zurk hand-to-hand.

"We are so outnumbered." I heard Agura say out of frustration.

"Not for long." I said before I spoke to the twins. "Spinner, you have any concussion cartridges with you?"

"Like this?" Spinner said as he popped out of the Buster with a concussion cartridge with him.

These cartridges are like concussion bombs, but with the Sentient tech adding more power to them. They even look like a detonator bomb. That would be enough to blow the forge sky-high. Just after Spinner came out with the cartridge, Zemerik got back up and was now charging at us.

"Throw it into the forge!" I said and Spinner then slightly turned two blue sections of the cartridge, activating the explosive.

Just as Zemerik was getting close to us, Spinner tossed the cartridge. Zemerik tried to get it before it got to the forge, but Agura managed to snag him with the Tangler's grappling hook and slammed him into the floor. With that, the special magnetism of the cartridge, it was now stuck on the forge. Zemerik tried to get up, but it seemed that slam knocked him out cold.

"Uh, guys?" Spinner said to us with worry. "We've got about 3 minutes before…" he then started making explosion sound effects before saying "Ka-boom!"

"Then let's blow this popsicle stand!" I said as we all got ready to roll. "Element Gang, roll out!"

With that, we all then started driving our way out of the factory before the forge blew.

* * *

**No one's view**

After the Element Gang and Battle Force leave the area, Zemerik recovers and gets back on his feet before he looks to a ledge and yells "Zug!"

Zug then appears in his Zendrill. Zemerik then uses an energy whip to latch onto the drill. The drill then starts turning, pulling Zemerik up like a pulley system. After reaching the upper level, Zemerik unlatches his whip from the drill and stand before Zug as he exits his Zendrill.

"Zemerik, pursue?" Zug asked his master.

"No! Block the exit!" Zemerik said to his servant. "Do not let them escape!"

Elsewhere, a group of Mini-Zurk gather at the exit, stacking on each other and creating a wall to block it. At the same time, the cartridge goes off and explodes, destroying the forge.

"It seems we have lost our Mini-Zurk factory, my lord." Specter said over the communicator of Zemerik's vehicle after the Sark returned to it.

"A temporary setback." Zemerik said as he drove to through the portal to Sark, watching parts of the factory explode and heading back to Sark. "This war has just begun."

The portal closes as more explosions fill the area.

* * *

**Axel's view**

As we drove as fast as we could, we watched as the explosions started closing on us.

"Okay, team, we got to stick together if we ever want to see Earth again." Vert said as we kept on driving toward the exit.

"Mini-Zurk, coming in fast!" Trust said as we looked to see large hordes of Mini-Zurk coming right at us.

This is what I was talking about earlier. Now it's time to put our revamped Element Gang maneuver into effect.

"Element Gang, on me!" I said as I called it. "Six-Path Assault!"

"Roger!" Base, Trich, Mari, Trust, and Jay said to me as we drove to the front of the group and put the maneuver into action.

Jay, Maria, and Trich took out the first horde with their cannons, each taking their shot at them in that. That was the first part of the maneuver.

"Guys, I need a lift!" Trust said to the twins as he got ready for his part of the maneuver.

"You got it, bud!" Spinner said as he then put down the ramp for Trust.

With that, Trust rode up the ramp and put his Ice Bike into hover mode, flying over the next two hordes and freezing them solid. That was the second part. Then Basar made the Rockwheeler jump and crushed the second horde with its tires. That was the third part. And, for the finisher, I drove in with the Fire Cycle's blade out and cut right through the last horde. With those hordes cleared, we all then kept our way to the exit.

"Okay, that was awesome!" Zoom said, amazed by the maneuver.

"Nice work!" Vert said, impressed by how we executed the maneuver.

"That's the thing with team maneuvers: everybody makes their contributions to attack pattern." I said to him.

"Now I see why you and Vert wanted to do the Wedge." Agura said, understanding it.

"Yeah, by combining our efforts as a team, we can accomplish just about anything." I said to her.

"Uh, guys?" Jay said as we all then looked ahead and saw a wall of Mini-Zurk blocking the exit.

"Hey, you guys see what I see?" Vert said as I knew what he was thinking.

"A bunch of Zurk about to get wedgied?" Agura chuckled as she and the rest of BF5 knew what he was planning.

With this, me and the others moved to the back as BF5 got ready to execute the maneuver.

"Okay, guys, let's do it!" Vert said as they all got into position. "The Flying Wedge!"

Then Vert brought out the Saber's blades and took up the middle, Stanford took position at the far right with the Reverb's sonic cannons ready to fire, Agura took her position next to him, Zoom took his position at the far left, then Vert took position next to the scout while the twins took up the middle with its mace spikes out. It was a perfect wedge formation and, I have to admit, looked pretty cool.

"Pull those tighty-whiteys hard!" Vert said before we then formed a single line and crashed right through the wall.

We all cheered out as we finally made it out of the factory and the whole thing exploded behind us.

"Yeah-ha! Way to go, team!" Vert said, no doubt feeling proud that he and his team managed to perform the maneuver perfectly.

"Now let's roll on home!" I said as Vert then opened the portal and we all headed back to Earth.

* * *

After getting back, we all changed back to our usual attire and celebrate at Zeke's, getting enough pizza for everybody.

"Man, kicking Zurk butt really makes me hungry." Zoom said after we all got our own slice.

"Well, fighting and protecting the multiverse does make an appetite." Basar said before he took a bite out of his pizza.

"Tell me about it." Agura said, getting the same feeling.

"Eat as much as you like, guys." I said to them, feeling pretty good that we finally cleared that Battle Zone. "You've earned it. BF5 really stood together as a team and managed to pull through a difficult situation. Great work."

"Listen, guys," Vert said as he spoke to us, giving a guilty smile, "I just wanted to say…"

"Thank you for being the most awesome team ever in our latest and greatest Battle Zone smack down!" Spinner said before he took a sip of his soda, interrupting Vert.

"Yeah, that and…" Vert said before he pointed to the side of his right mouth. "You got pizza sauce, right there by your mouth."

Spinner then went to wipe it off but wiped the wrong side. When Vert pointed it out, Spinner finally wiped it off. That even got me laughing a little.

"Thanks, guys." Vert said as he raised his soda.

"Here's to the Element Gang and Battle Force!" I said as we all raised our sodas up for a toast. Well, all except for Stanford who just had that smug look on his face.

"You're more than welcome." Stanford said before he then pulled out a blue Hawaiian flora-patterned shirt. "Now who wants to hit tropical beach?"

"No thanks!" I said as Agura and I then started leaving the diner.

"Pass!" Basar said as him and Trich did the same.

"I think me and Zoom better work on our fighting skills." Trust said as him, Zoom, and everybody else decided to beat it.

After that, we weren't willing to go to another Battle Zone, especially if he picked out the Battle Key for it.

"Oh, guys, come on!" Stanford said as he stood up. "Mari, you too?"

"Sorry, Stanfy, but I think I had enough Battle Zones for one day." Mari said as we all then rushed over to our vehicles and drove straight back to the garage.

**No one's view**

As Stanford stood there with a look of shock, Grace came along and handed him a piece of paper.

"What's this?" Stanford said as he took it and saw what it was. "The bill." He chuckled a bit before he held up the bill. "I don't do bills."

"You do now." Grace said as she moved his hand down and winked at him.

"Nice teamwork." Stanford said to himself with a look of august. "Peasants."

* * *

**Axel's Note**

_Well, looks like BF5 learned an important lesson about teamwork. Sure, it took them a while to figure that out, but I'm glad that they are now working like a team. Being a team does not mean we all think the same. Sure, we might all be different from each other and we sometimes drive each other nuts, but those different views in the dynamic is what makes the team strong. As a leader, I've learned that I have to accept and understand those differences from my teammates. My teammates know that they have to trust me and each other for when we need help the most. Now that we got our team together, we're now better than ever. Now we are really shaping up as Earth's defenders, as the Element Gang and Battle Force 5!_

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to write this chapter. Had a lot of stuff to do, but I'm glad I had finished this chapter. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! There's more Element Gang and Battle Force 5 action coming in the next chapter!**


	6. Chapter 5: Missing in Action

**Chapter 5: ****Missing in Action**

There we were in a crystal-based Battle Zone, we had just gotten the Battle Key and we were on our way home. Though we had to be careful with this trip home. The portal was at the top of steep ramp and these crystals weren't exactly stable. One false move and we could find ourselves falling into a crevice. Which was assured with how we had a run-in with the Vandals and they were on our tail. And they had three members of the Dark Gang with them: Kaze, Berthona, and Silvian.

"I've got a good visual on the Earth portal!" Vert said over the comm. "In fact, clear as crystal."

"Oh, I see." Spinner said, getting it. "Almost a joke. So can I use it?"

"Don't even think about it, Spin." I said to him, already sick of crystal jokes after all the ones Mari told. "I'm not in the mood for any more crystal jokes."

"Oh, I wish we didn't have to leave." Tricha said, sounding disappointed. "This Battle Zone is just so…marvelous!"

"Don't worry, Trich." I said to her, reassuring her. "Once we clear this Zone, we can come back to it."

"I sure hope so." Tricha said to me, sounding more relieved. "These crystal would be perfect for my new line of fashion."

**Trustin's view**

While we were driving up the ramp, we hit a turn and I looked to see Zoom had skid his back tire off the edge. If he didn't get out of there, the crystal was gonna break.

"Zoom!" I said as I stopped and got over to him as quick as I could. "Don't worry, I got ya!"

Using all the strength I had, I managed to lift the Chopper and get its wheel back on the bridge. Good thing I was there. That crystal was already starting to crack.

"You okay, little bro?" I said to him, making sure he wasn't hurt.

"Trust, I'm fine." My little bro said to me. "I just got too close to the edge. I could've gotten out of there by myself."

"You can't be too careful." I said to him, reminding him what Axel said about this Zone. "Axel said that these crystals aren't sturdy and anything could cause them to break at any moment."

"Even if I fell off the edge, I can just get back up easily." Zoom said to me.

"Yeah, but…" I wasn't even able to finish what I was about to say before he drove off.

As I got back to my Ice Bike and tried to catch up to the others. The way he looked at me, he looked kind of upset. He had been giving me that for a while, just about every time I tried to help him. I just couldn't figure out why he was getting so upset. I was only trying to help.

**Axel's view**

"Ooh!" I heard Spinner say over the comm. "Close call for the kid."

"Don't call me 'kid'!" Zoom said, sounding really offended by Spinner's comment.

"Sure, little guy." Spinner said to him before saying "Hey, does anybody want to hear a joke?"

"No." the rest of us said, not really into the idea of hearing one of his jokes.

"I'm not saying Zoom's a baby or anything," Spinner said, ignoring our answer to him telling a joke, "but that rattle in his Chopper is a real rattle."

We all groaned at that terrible joke as he sounded the rim-shot effect on the Buster.

"I will so dominate open-mic night at Zeke's." Spinner said, feeling proud of his joke.

"Dude, enough of the lame baby jokes." Zoom said to him.

"Oh—whoa! Somebody missed his nap time!" Spinner said, making another joke.

"Okay, one more baby joke from you, Spinner, and I will give you an icicle right where the sun don't shine!" Trustin said over the comm, sounding enraged.

"Spinner, cut it." Vert said over the comm. "Let's just get this Key home."

"Got it." Spinner said to Vert before speaking to Zoom. "Sorry, Zoom. When we get back, I'm buying you a tall, frosty soda. But I draw the line at burping ya!"

**Trustin's view**

"Spinner, I'm gonna…" Zoom said as he drove next to the Buster, shaking his fist in anger.

"Zoom, look out!" I yelled out as I drove out and got us both out of the way of an arrow that landed in front of the Chopper.

**Axel's view**

As we dodged the arrows raining down at us, I looked to the side and found out who was shooting at us. The Vandals had managed to catch up.

"Ambush!" I said as I watched the Vandals driving on a crystal bridge beside us with Kalus and Kaze leading them, the Vandal warlord using his crossbow to shoot at us.

I looked at watched as the bridge the Vandals intersected with the one we were on, allowing them to tail us. I tried to keep looking forward, but looked back when I heard singing. What I saw was Kaze singing. I was confused at first, but when his voice became discordant, I realized what he was doing. It was already too late to stop him as he used the Aria of Doom, a type of sonic roar so powerful that it can break through solid stone. From what I've read, it was discovered by a Dargon who sang in the opera somewhere between the golden age of opera in the 19th century and the early 20th century. I then watched as the aria hit a large crystal pillar, causing a large chunk of it to land in the middle of the bridge ahead of us. We all managed to dodge it, but I knew what Kaze had done would no doubt cause the entire bridge to collapse.

"Guys, we can't go through the portal yet," Vert said to me, making a good point, "not with the Vandals close enough to follow."

"Right. I'll stay back and draw them off while the rest of you get the Battle Key back to Earth." I said, all ready to fight the Vandals.

"No! I'll draw them off!" Zoom said, volunteering to handle the Vandals. "Protect the Battle Key!"

"No way, kid!" Vert said to him. "It's too dangerous!"

"'Kid'? You too?" Zoom said in anger and disbelief.

"Zoom, go on ahead, but take Trustin with you!" I said to him.

"No, I can handle this by myself!" Zoom said in defiance.

"No! Kaze, Silvian, and Berthona are back there." I said to him, reminding him that he would be dealing with three Dark Gang elementals if he went out alone. "It's too dangerous for you to do by yourself. Trust, keep those crooks away from Zoom. After you bump and dump them, catch up to us."

"You got it, cap!" Trust said to me as the rest of us kept on going towards the portal.

**Trustin's view**

As the others kept on going and got through the portal, me and my bro stopped and turned to get ready to strike.

"I don't need your help, you know?" Zoom said to me. "I can do this by myself."

"And what? Leave you to those maniacs?" I said, talking about the Vandals. "No way. I'm not leaving my little brother behind." I then put my fist up, ready to do our fist bump. "Ready to go, little bro?"

"Let's just get this over with and go home." Zoom said before he drove off toward the Vandals.

He wasn't gonna do our fist bump? Now there had to be something wrong. He loves doing our fist bumps. It's one of the first things we did when we became brothers. Why was he so mad? Putting that off for later, I then drove off to make sure Zoom didn't get hurt.

**Kaze's view**

As we closed in on the portal, we looked to see Trustin and the Battle Force 5 scout closing in on us. Sending those two to fight us? Now the Element Gang was really pathetic.

"So they send in their scouts." I said, not at once feeling threatened by this. "It seems the Element Gang have gotten careless to send in their weakest links."

"Hey, the little one is Trustin's brother, right?" Silvian said, smiling anxiously. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy ripping him apart in front of that waste of ice power!"

Just when we thought we would clash, we watched as the younger scout then jumped and landed on the crystal I put there. Now I was regretting it as I knew what he was doing, especially with their back wheels facing us.

"No! Stop! It's a trap!" I said, managing to get Berthona and Silvian to stop, but Kalus and the others kept on pushing forward, not hearing me or realizing what they were doing.

We then watched as those rats drove on the crystal, pushing it deeper into the ground and causing the bridge to crumble. Even though his brother was taken down with it, but he got back up with that hover mode on his vehicle while the others just kept on falling.

"They're getting away!" Silvian said in frustration.

"They're not getting away that easily!" I said as I left my Primal Bounty, already knowing what to do. "Berthona, get into the air! Silvian and I will join you shortly."

"Yes, sir!" Berthona said before she drove off the bridge only to start flying a moment later, going after the scouts.

"Silvian, get ready for battle!" I said as I then transformed into my Dargon form. "No more Mr. Nice Guy!"

**Trustin's view**

As I tried to get back on the bridge, I managed to hear Zoom cheer out in victory. He might've enjoyed that, but that was still dangerous. What if he couldn't get off that crystal in time? He would be falling into the crevice.

"That was awesome!" I heard Zoom say as I tried to get back on the bridge with him. "Aw! They never see me do the cool stuff!"

"Zoom, that was not cool!" I said to him, angry for him being so reckless. "That was rash and dangerous!"

"Oh, chill out, Trust." Zoom said to me. "We got rid of the Vandals right?" Hearing cracking, we both looked behind us and saw the bridge was already crumbling and closing in on us fast. "Uh-oh!"

"The bridge is coming down! Punch it!" I said as we both drove as fast as we could to the portal. "Come on, come on!"

Just when we were close enough, the bridge caught up to us and we started falling. As we were falling, I managed to put the Ice Bike into hover mode. I looked to see Zoom trying to do the same with the Chopper when I saw a piece of crystal heading straight for him. Acting fast, I flew over and managed to get us both out of the way of that crystal.

"Thanks, Trust!" Zoom said to me as he finally got the Chopper in hover mode. With that, we both flew right back up.

"Phew! That was close!" I said, relieved that we made out alive as we headed to the portal.

"Yeah. Let's get back home and get this Zone closed down." Zoom said right before an electrical blast came by.

Luckily, we managed to dodge it, though we were now in trouble after we looked back and saw where it came from.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Berthona yelled out as she come up fast. "Neither of you are gonna make it out of here alive!"

"Oh, no! It's Berthona!" I said, afraid that we now had that electrified killer on our tail. "Evasive maneuvers!"

We then split up and I was hoping she would go after me, but Berthona went after Zoom instead.

"Zoom, look out! She's right behind you!" I said to Zoom over the comm.

**Zoom's view**

After hearing that from Trust, I looked behind me and saw that Berthona was following me. Though this didn't scare me. This actually looked like it would be fun.

"You want a piece of me?" I said to her, trying to keep her focus on me. "Then come get me!"

With that, I then let her chase me down so I can be able to knock that Goth out of the sky. Dodging her blasts was easy. She was only using one hand.

"Zoom, what are you doing?" Trust said to me over the comm. "Get back to Earth! I'll handle Berthona while you get out of here!"

"No! I can handle this!" I said to him, finally doing something for myself for once. "Just watch! I'll get rid of this chick and be back before you know it!"

"Zoom, wait…" I then cut off my comm, not wanting to hear anything from him now.

If Berthona wanted to fight me, then I'm gonna let her have it. This was my fight, not my brother's. It's time to show Trust I'm not a little kid anymore. After a while, I finally got my chance and gave the slip.

"Oh! Where'd he go? Where'd he go?!" I heard her yelled as I finally got in the right spot.

"Right here, little Ms. Grim!" I said as I turned and charged at her head-on.

"Big mistake, kid!" She said as she charged up for a blast, the purple electricity shining bright enough for me to see. "It's lights out for you!"

Just when I was gonna be able to get her…she suddenly turned into a big ice cube, and started falling down to the ground. I already knew who was responsible for this, one of the only two people I know who haves breathe that can turn someone into an ice sculpture. Darn it! Can't he least let me do one thing on my own?

"Zoom, it's time to go." Trust said to me, talking to me like Mom and Dad. "Head to the portal now!"

With that, we both then started heading back to the portal. I just couldn't believe it. Why can't he see that I don't need his help all the time? I'm tired of him babying me! I can do things on my own!

"Trust, I had her!" I said as my brother flew over to me, not really much appreciating him taking my win.

"And I told you to head back to Earth, not take Berthona head-on!" Trust said to me. "Any member of the Dark Gang is way too dangerous for you!"

"Oh, here we go again!" I said, can't believe he was doing it again. "Seeing me do something you think I can't handle and then swooping in and taking care of it for me!"

"Zoom, you know think I'm doing this for fun?" Trust said to me, treating me like a little kid again. "This is not a game, Zoom! Can't you grow up?"

"You know, you're starting to sound like Mom and Dad right now!"

"Well, somebody haves to be the adult here and it apparently can't be you!"

Just when he said that, we heard some clanking, looked back, and saw his Ice Bike's back rotors were stabbed with icicles.

"Trustin!" I said as I watched Trustin beginning to fall before I then flew off to save him. When I got close enough, I then put out my hand for him to grab on to. "Trust, grab my hand!"

Just when Trust was gonna grab my hand, I watched as some metal clamp and this big metal hand grabbed my bro and pulled them up.

"No! Trustin!" I said before I then turned around and went after them.

When I finally caught up, I saw that my bro was stuck in the grip of this large purple dragon who turned out to be that giant hand and that clamp that caught my bro, the clamp on its tail. On that clamp, I also saw this big purple wolf holding onto it. It kind of looked like my bro when he's FrostFang. Both of them had these piercing red eyes.

"Ugh! Let me go, Kaze!" I heard my bro say as he tried to escape.

Hearing him say that, I had to guess the dragon I was seeing was Kaze's Dargon form and the wolf was Silvian as DarkFang.

"Sorry, but we're going to need you for what we have planned." Kaze said to him, speaking a real twisted voice that made him sound like a demon.

"Let him go, you overgrown lizard!" I said as I tried to charge him and rescue my bro, but he ended up dodging it. I had to get him. I had to save my bro.

**Kaze's view**

Okay, now I was getting annoyed. Doesn't that brat know that it is hopeless for him to take on two powerful elementals like me and Silvian? Guess he needed to learn that lesson.

"Silvian, get rid of that rat!" I said to my fellow elemental as that rat charged at us.

"With pleasure!" Silvian said before I then swung my tail to give him moment to jump at him.

**Zoom's view**

As I kept on going at Kaze, I saw him swinging his tail back and forth and Silvian looking like he was ready to jump, that ice-cold crook smiling for some reason. It was only a moment before Kaze really swung forward and Silvian jumped off, heading right at me right before he got on my Chopper, trying to toss me out of it.

"Hey, get off me, you creep!" I said as I tried to get him off.

**Trustin's view**

I was horrified as I watched Zoom being attacked by Silvian, the Chopper flying out of control from the struggle.

"Zoom!" I said before trying to convince Kaze to leave my little bro alone. "Leave him alone! He haves nothing to do with this!"

"Save your breath." Kaze said to me in with that Dargon voice, talking in a harsh tone. "I haven't forgotten that he is a member of Battle Force 5 and, just like you, he will pay the price for interfering with the Dark Gang and the Vandals!"

I was now terrified. I knew the Dark Gang were ruthless to those who are not willing to serve them.

_Oh, Zoom. _I thought to myself. _I hope you can get that darn deceiver off ya before it's too late._

I then watched as the fight between them kept on going, the Chopper now heading for me and Kaze.

**Zoom's view**

After finally managing to get him off and getting ready to push him off, I then watched as he just smiled.

"What's with the smug?" I asked him, confused by this as I tried to push him off. "You happy or something?"

"Yeah, because your flight is cancel, kid!" he said before he then kicked at the Chopper's front rotor, breaking it. He then got my arm off him and got in front of me, his feet on the hood. "Have a nice fall!" He then jumped off, knocking me away while getting back over to Kaze's tail.

"No! Zoom!" I heard my bro scream as I fell with my Chopper.

**Trustin's view**

"Zoom!" I yelled out as I watched my little brother fall with his bike until he was completely out of sight. "Zoom! Nooooo!"

"One rat down, 10 more to go." Kaze said, sounding proud of himself. "Now let's head back and prepare."

"What about the portal? It's still open." Silvian asked him, sounding confused.

"Don't worry. We'll get to it and our new prisoner is going to help us ensure our victory." Kaze said before he started flying away from where Zoom crashed.

"No! Let me go!" I said as I tried to break free, wanting to get over there and to make sure Zoom was okay. "Zoom! Zoom!"

**Zoom's view**

As I fell to my doom, I quickly got a good grip on my Chopper and braced for impact. The Chopper crashed on some crystals before it finally landed on the ground, knocking me off my bike. Luckily, those crystals slowed me down, so the landing wasn't so rough. I got back up and was relieved I was alive. But, when I looked up to see Kaze and Silvian leave with my big bro, I was feeling worried about him. About what the Vandals would do to him.

"Trust, come in." I said as I tried to use my comm. "Trustin, can you hear me?" There was nothing but static, which meant only one thing. "Comm's busted."

With that, I knew I had one thing to do: get to the portal and get the others to help rescue Trustin.

* * *

**[Earth]**

**Axel's view**

After getting through the portal, we all watched as Vert leave the Saber and went on to close the portal, but only just stood in front of it. I had already known the reason.

"Vert, what are you waiting for?" Jay said to the BF5 leader. "Close the Stormshock!"

"No, Zoom and Trustin are still in there!" Vert said to him, just when I decided to leave my Fire Cycle and check the other side of the portal. "Anytime now."

"Maybe the Vandals caught them." Sherman said.

From poking my head through the portal, using my metalbending to extend my eyesight, and looking around, I looked down and was shocked to see that the whole bridge was gone and the portal was now on top of a crystal pillar.

After retracting my eyes and getting my head out of the portal, I managed to hear Vert say "I'm going back!"

Seeing him running to the Saber, I used my super speed to stop him.

"Vert, no!" I said as I got in front of him. "I just took a look back there and I got some bad news. The bridge's gone!"

"What do you mean it's gone?" Basar asked me, confused by this.

"I mean, it's destroyed!" I said to him, making him and the others shocked from heard that. "The crystal Kaze knocked into the bridge made it too unstable and it crumbled apart. The whole portal is on top of a pillar now." I then looked to Vert. "Which means, if you go back there, you end up stuck there with the Saber!"

"Are Trust and Zoom okay?" Mari asked me, worried about the scouts.

"I don't know." I answered her, feeling just as worried. "I can't see them anywhere."

"Oh, dear." Tricha said with worry. "I sure hope they are alright. Even if they manage to escape such a thing, the Vandals are still there waiting for them."

"Calm down, everybody." Vert said. "Those two are skilled martial artists and they both have gotten out of things worse than this. I'm sure they're okay."

"This is terrible." Spinner said with a look of worry. "Without Zoom…" He then regained his usually smile and spoke like there was nothing wrong at all, "who am I gonna make fun of at Zeke's open-mic night?"

With him joking like that and just about everyone glaring at him, I then gave him one good smack in the head for it.

"What? I was just joking." Spinner said to me. "I love the little guy."

We all then looked to the portal, hoping Trust and Zoom can make it back.

* * *

**[Crystal Battle Zone]**

**No one's view**

Towards the ground to where the crumbled edge was, the Vandals are seen lying there from surviving the fall off the crumbling bridge, groaning as they recovered from it.

"You fools!" Kalus said to his Vandals, speaking with rage after getting the large chunk of crystal off his chariot.

"We are the fools?" Krocomodo said to the Vandal warlord, speaking just as enraged as Sever helped Hatch to his feet. "You are the one who missed the human with your crossbow!"

Kalus then roared out, spooking the three as they felt coming from him.

"But it was a really good try." Hatch said, trying to lighten the mood. "Three cheers for Captain Kalus! Huzzah! Huzzah!" Seeing as Krocomodo and Sever did not cheer with him, he soon quieted down. "Huzzah."

"This battle is lost." Kalus said after recovering from his confusion and becoming serious. "Let us return to Vandal and prepare for the next. Wait, where are the others?"

"Right here, Captain Kalus." Berthona said as she managed to drive over to the Vandals. "Berthona Delaurenti, reporting."

**Trustin's view**

While Silvian was driving, I tried my best to get myself free from the restrains on me. After those crooks caught me, they had me restrained with these wooden handcuffs and ankle cuffs made with Vengestone and then decided to take me back to Kalus. I wasn't even able to get myself close to being free when I heard Kalus voice.

"And where is Kaze?" He said.

"Captain Kalus!" Kaze said as those two finally stopped.

"Kaze, where have you been?" Kalus said to him as I could hear Kaze get out of his chariot and walk over to Kalus.

"Oh, we were just getting something that might help us in this situation." Kaze said before he snapped his fingers.

Right from there, I watched as Silvian got out, grabbed me, and then tossed me over to where I was now in front of Kalus.

"May I present our newest prisoner: the Element Gang's own scout." Kaze said with a smug look on his face.

"Let me at him!" Berthona said as she got out of her car and walked over with her hand sparking with purple electricity. "I'm gonna fry him!"

"Easy there, Berthona." Kaze said to her, losing that smug and making her stop. "We need him alive."

"Kaze is correct. Well done." Kalus said after Berthona put her hand away and cut off the electricity, causing Kalus to regain his smug while that lion gained his own. "But what about the human?"

"We already took care of him." Silvian said, having that same smug. "Knocked him out of the sky and sent him crashing into the ground! There's no way that human could survive that."

"Captain Kalus, the human still lives!" Krocomodo said, pointing down.

I looked and saw that he was right. Zoom was still alive! I was so relieved to see that little bro was okay.

"You said you took care of the human." Kalus said as he glared at Kaze, actually scaring the Dargon.

"Well, it's just an assumption." Kaze said nervously. "Besides I think he's gonna be much trouble without his vehicle."

"I think I'll eat him." Sever said with that jagged-toothed grin of his.

"No!" Kalus said as he got out of his chariot. "We catch him and use them both as bait. The subspecies will return to save two of their own and when they return through the Stormshock, we will be ready. Kaze, you, Silvian, and Berthona take our prisoner and ensure he doesn't escape."

"Yes, Captain Kalus." Kaze said to him.

"Vandals, we start the hunt now!" Kalus said to the others.

I heard Hatch chuckle and looked to him, wondering what exactly had him laughing.

"I get chills every times he says that." Hatch said. "Anybody else get chills?"

Even I had to agree with the crooks and their other mutant pals. Hatch getting chills from that? That is just weird and wrong.

"Come on, you!" Silvian said as he dragged me away. When he got me back into the back seat, I glared at him. "Hey, look on the bright side. At least your brother will be joining you soon enough."

As Kaze and his fellow crooks drove off, I watched as Kalus and the other Vandals went off to go after Zoom. I was now hoping for Zoom to be able to escape them.

* * *

**Zoom's view**

After failing to get up that pillar, I then tried to fix the Chopper. It was my only shot back up there. I crossed some wires and…got some smoke puffed in my face.

"Great." I said as that was my last shot to get some help. "Everything's busted."

"Oh, man. What am I gonna do?" I said to myself. "Without the Chopper, I'm never gonna save Trust from those two."

I was worried about what was happening to my big bro. I knew I had to save Trust, but how could I? Without the Chopper, I stand no chance against Kaze and that ice element creep.

Just then, I felt something. I had no idea what it was, but it felt like…something was calling out to me. I looked around to find where was it coming from until I saw something wedged into all those crystal. To figure out what it was, I went over and tried to pull it out. It was stuck in there good. Just when I thought I wasn't gonna get it out, I finally did…and got flat on my butt. When I got a good look at it, it looked like…a bow. It looked like a composite bow, a pretty beat up and pretty old one. Thanks for the weapon's history lesson, Basar and Axel. Though it looked more different than a normal composite bow. It had this weird riser with a strange symbol on it. It looked like an arrow with a line in the middle of it.

"A bow?" I said as it was pretty weird to find a bow around here. "What's a bow doing here in a Battle Zone?"

And just when I thought it couldn't get any weirder, after I got back on my feet, I got this feeling inside of me, something that connected me with this bow. Almost as if…it belonged to me. I snapped out of it when I heard some cars and looked behind me to see the Vandals heading my way.

"Oh, man!" I said before I then slung the bow over me and got running. "I might not have a Chopper, but I still got moves."

I don't know how, but I was gonna to save my big brother.

* * *

**No one's view**

After driving to the crystal where Zoom was at, Hatch was the first to arrive as he stopped in front of the broken Chopper. He then used his car's stinger and mandibles to grab the motorcycle and slammed it into the ground three times as Sever and Krocomodo finally arrive.

"I found the shell," Hatch said to his fellow Vandals before he gained a disappointed look on his face, "but the soft parts are missing."

Sever steps out of his car and sniffs the air. He looks down to see Krocomodo out of his car as well and sniffing the ground as if he was trying to find a trail like a dog.

"His tracks lead…that way." Krocomodo said as he pointed towards a path within two rows of piles of crystals.

As they walk forward, the three find a small opening but get stuck as they all try to go through at the same time.

"I'm really hungry." Sever said as he tried to push his way through.

"You're always hungry." Krocomodo said to him before Hatch then tried to push his way past the two.

The three then began struggling as they tried to exit the opening. As they continue, Kalus pulls up behind them with a look of anger.

"Fools!" Kalus said to them, making the three stop and back away from the opening to turn and look at him. "You're wasting time."

**Zoom's view**

While that overgrown cat talked to his fellow mutants, I was waiting behind one of the crystals above them for the right moment to strike. I was able to hear what he was saying from all the way up there with his voice echoing.

"Do you think the human is simply gonna wait for us?" Kalus said as I was ready to give him that answer.

"Actually, I am." I said to myself, speaking so quiet they couldn't hear me before I pushed on the crystal, sending it falling on them.

I was able to hear the croc call a retreat as I watched them run away from the falling crystal. With that, I then jumped right at Kalus.

"Whoo-hoo!" I said as this was actually pretty fun.

When Kalus tried to throw a spear at me, I managed to catch and sent it back at him by using my skill. It was stabbed right in his chariot. With him distract, I was able to get in a good kick and knock him out of his chariot.

"And the score is…Fuzz-face: zero!" I said as I stood in front of that furball, feeling pretty proud of myself.

Though that moment didn't last longer before Kalus' goons caught me in chains. Just when I thought I could save my bro, I end up caught by the Vandals.

"Hey, listen," I said to Kalus as he stood in front of me, looking pretty mad, "about that fuzz-face crack…"

"Silence, sub-creature!" Kalus said to me before looking to his goons. "I will contact Kaze and the others to bring the other prisoner. Make sure this one does not escape."

After that, those three removed the chains and got me on one cuff that had the end of its chain nailed to the ground. The croc, the shark, and the bug tried to crash into me with their cars, but they should've done better than handcuff one of my hands or make my chain so long if they wanted to get a hit one me. I was able to dodge them easily.

"Stop moving!" Krocomodo said to me after I managed to get onto his car. "You're not making this any fun."

"It's fun for me." I said to him before I got off and watched as he crashed into Sever and then had Hatch crash into him. "Yeah!" I then walked over to Kalus who was looking through a telescope. "Now tell me, where is my brother?"

"He will be here shortly." Kalus said to me, looking pretty smug. "Much like the rest of your companions when they come looking for the two of you."

"The Element Gang wouldn't risk going back here to let you and your goons get to Earth." I said to him, knowing the guys wouldn't let the Vandals get a chance to invade Earth. "The Earth is safe as long as you guys can't get to it. Besides, I'm the least important guy on Battle Force 5."

"Your team will be back, small one." Kalus said to me. "They suffer from the same thing your whole feeble race suffers from."

"Cat allergies?" I said, really finding it funny that furball thought he could win.

"Compassion." Kalus said to me and then I realized it.

"He's actually correct!" I then looked as I saw Kaze and his own goons pull up. He then got out of his chariot and walked over to me. "Just like the pathetic excuse for warriors before them, they all let their compassion to hold them back and force them to do the most foolish of acts for those beneath them." When he got close enough, I was able to see the smug look on his face. "Individuals such are yourself. Your brother proves it." With that, I then watched as that ice elemental poser get grab something on the seat of his bike. I then watch Silvian pick up Trustin from the back before he tossed him over to me.

"Trust!" I said as I got over to him, shocked to see him cuffed by the hands and feet and with a muzzle on him.

"Zoom!" Trust said to me, sounding pretty relieved even with his voice a little muffled. "Thank goodness you're okay."

"And this proves my point." Kaze said as I then glared at him. "Friends are for the weak. Compassion is for the scared. In times of war, you must never show any weakness. Those are the words that my ancestors and I have followed for centuries. This is why we will be victorious. We are the mighty! We are the Vandals!"

"You're wrong." I heard Trust say as I looked and saw him glaring at Kaze who lost his smug and looked at him. "You will never win. Compassion does not make us weak. It makes us better people, people with humanity. Something you guys will never understand. For that is the strength of the human race!"

"'Strength of the human race'?" Kaze said before he scowled, brushing it off. "Those are such words of weakling. This is why your world will fall. You are weak."

Us? Weak? Now that was so wrong. Us humans might be a lot of things but we are not weak. Me and my bro had to get away from these guys and back to Earth. Just needed to figure out how.

* * *

**[Earth]**

**Axel's view**

After waiting for a while, we were all starting to get worried for Trust and Zoom. Neither of them came back for an hour. None of the Vandals showed up either, not even the Dark Gang elementals with them.

"I don't like this." Basar said to me, trying his best to look brave to conceal his worry. "Not a single Vandal popped through yet and Trust and Zoom are still not back."

"Crazy kid." Spinner said, sounding concern for Zoom. "Trying to take on the Vandals all alone. Probably got over his head." He then switched to telling a joke. "Which considering Zoom's size, probably happens every time he steps into the tub!"

"Uh… hey, big bro." Sherm said to Spinner. "It's my job to keep you out of trouble, right?"

"Well, yeah." Spinner said, sounding a little confused.

"I calculate that you've gone too far." Sherm said and he wasn't kidding about that.

"Understatement of the year." Stanford said as we all agreed with Sherm.

"Spinner, this is serious!" I said to him, sternly.

"Hey!" Spinner said, trying to defend himself. "All I did was tell a few jokes about the kid being a kid."

"Your jokes are what caused Zoom to try and prove himself back there!" I said to him.

"Wait, prove himself?" Vert asked me. "Axel, what are you talking about?"

With this, I then took a deep breath and calmed down as I started to explain.

"Guys, Zoom has been having some…issues lately." I said, explain to BF5 as my fellow elementals joined me.

"What's wrong with Zoom?" Agura asked with concern.

"It's not really him, it's Trustin." I said before I tried to be explain the problem without really insulting Trustin. "He's… You see, Trustin has been…"

"Trust's been babying Zoom." Basar said, telling the harsh version of what I was trying to find.

"Yeah, Trustin's been trying to keep Zoom safe for weeks." I said before getting to the times he's tried to help Zoom. "Like the time Zoom and I spared each other and Trust made me slip on his ice."

"Or the time Zoom decided to workout with us and Trust gave him weights that were too light for him to lift." Basar said, putting out another example.

"And let's not forget the time Zoom tried to do Trust's part of our training course and Trust tried to make him sit it out while he did it." Jay said, putting out another example.

"Basically, Trust has been overprotective of Zoom." I said, summing it up.

"And why on Earth is he being like that for?" Stanford asked to me in disbelief. "Isn't that the man who is basically as bloody mad as Basar?"

"Well, I think Trust might be having some doubts for having Zoom with us." I said before I explained the reason for Trustin being so cautious around Zoom. "Trust told me that when they were little, he tried his best to keep Zoom safe. He was always there for him and always managed to keep him out of trouble. When Zoom decided he wanted to be able to fight like him, Trust decided to help Zoom learn how to fight. Trust was basically a hero to Zoom back then, somebody that Zoom always looked up to." I could see everyone was beginning to understand as I continued. "Zoom might be adopted, but to Trust, he's still his brother. And family helps family. We all should know that. It's kind of the same way Sherm looks out for you, Spinner. Though it seems that Trust hasn't realized that he's overdone it."

"But if he's just looking out for his little bro, why is Zoom getting so upset about it?" Spinner asked me.

"The answer would be quite simply." I said, explaining the reason for Zoom's attitude. "Like Vert said, Zoom is as a capable fighter as Trust. He likes the idea of working with Trust and being a hero like him, but he doesn't want his brother constantly looking over his shoulder like that. More likely, he's trying to prove to Trust that he's not a little kid anymore. Which is why he was taking those baby jokes personally, Spin."

"Guess I should've took it easier on him, huh?" Spinner said, no doubt feeling guilty.

"You can apologize to him once he and Trust get back." I said before I then decided that it was time to take action. "After I find them."

"Axel, what are you doing?" Agura asked me as I then got back on my Fire Cycle.

"I'm going back to look for Trust and Zoom." I said to her before speaking to Tricha and Mari. "Trich, Mari, come with me. We might need the Torn Jet and the Storm Glider to get our scouts home." They both nod in agreement.

"I'm coming too!" Vert said, getting ready to go back to the Battle Zone.

"Vert, no!" I said to him, stopping him. "With the Vandals over there, there's no guarantee that the Saber can make the trip back to Earth. The three of us are the only ones capable of flying. You stay here with the others in case the Vandals try to get Earth."

"You sure you want to do this, Trich?" Basar said, worried about his girlfriend.

"Oh, Basar, darling." Tricha said to him, reassuringly. "There's no reason to fret. I can handle myself."

"Be careful, Axel." Agura said, the concern sounding in her voice.

"Don't worry, Agura." I said to her in reassurance. "I'll make sure we all come back in one piece."

"You be careful too, dear." Stanford said to Mari in concern.

"Don't worry, Stanfy." Mari said to him, not even once sounding nervous. "This will be a piece of cake."

"Okay, girls." I said to Trich and Mari as the three of us got ready to go. "Let's roll!"

With that, we then drove on and went straight through the portal.

* * *

**[Crystal Battle Zone]**

**Zoom's view**

I sat there with my big bro, trying to figure out a way to escape with the Vandals watching us. I would've gotten the muzzle and cuffs off Trust if Kaze and his two goons weren't ready to fire at me if I tried.

"You know, I find it hard to believe you two are brothers. You don't even look like." Silvian said with a smug. "Let me guess: adopted by your folks, Trustin?"

"Something came through the portal!" Kaze said as we looked to him. "It's that red rat and he's brought his Air and Lightning elementals. Looks like search party has come for the brothers."

"Excellent." Kalus said before he looked at me and Trust. "They will hold the Stormshock open until they find you." He then looked to the rest of the Vandals. "Vandals, prepare to attack!"

As those scumbags cheered, me and Trust were now worried that the guys did what the Vandals wanted.

"No!" I said, now worried of what was gonna happen now. "The Vandals are gonna get to Earth and it's all my fault!"

* * *

**Axel's view**

After getting through the portal, we all then went driving down the pillar, feeling a few bumps along the way.

"Hey!" Mari said over the comm, sounding like she's enjoying it with the vibrations from the bumps causing her voice to shake. "Is it just me or does my voice sound really funny like this?"

"It's just you, Mari." Me and Trich said to her, not really into hearing her brand of comedy right now.

"Okay, sheesh." Mari said, sounding depressed. "Tough crowd."

"I think we may have just invented extreme car slalom." I said, making a joke of my own.

"Ha-ha! Good one, Axel." Mari said with a laugh.

"Looks like my only chance to ride my Fire Cycle back home is to go from there," I said as I pointed to the other side of the ruined bridge that made a good ramp over to the portal to which I then pointed to, "to there. Good thing I brought you two. Structurally, it would be risky for the whole team to run out of here on that ramp. Seems like it can only take one vehicle at a time." Just when I said that, I saw a bottom crystal fall right off it. "It's also good that the Vandals don't know about it. The pass is the only way up and, knowing the Vandals, they'll put too much weight on it before they can even get close to the Stormshock. After we find Trust and Zoom, I can lead them onto it. We'll be able to get to the portal and they won't be able to follow us. And with the others standing guard, we'll be free to search. Now let's go find Trust and Zoom and get back home."

"Okey-dokey!" Mari said in confirmation.

"I sure hope they haven't gotten into any trouble." Tricha said before we then drove on to look for them.

* * *

**Zoom's view**

After Axel and the girls got through the portal, Kalus sent Krocomodo to scout ahead to tell him if the guys were coming.

"Captain Kalus, the portal remains and the sub-creatures are heading this way." Krocomodo said over Kalus' radio.

"I have old business with the leader." Kalus said, still looking smug. "He's mine to snare." He then looked to Hatch and Sever. "You! Destroy the other two!" He then looked to Kaze. "And I will leave the leader's end to you, Kaze. Just make sure you take the Stormshock portal."

"It would be a pleasure, Captain Kalus." Kaze said to him with a bow, having the same smug. "With most of the Element Gang gone, whatever is left will not stand a chance." He then looked to me and Trust as he lost that smug. "Though these two still provide a problem, especially with how you restrained the young one." He then looked Silvian. "Silvian, stay here and make sure they don't try to escape. Berthona and I will secure the portal."

"Seriously? Guard duty?" Silvian said, sounding and looking like he didn't really like the idea. "But I can't kill either of them." I then gave a look of shock as Kaze glared at him. Silvian then bowed his head in fear to him. "Yes, sir."

"You sub-creatures are so easy to hunt." Kalus said to me and my bro as he then grabbed me before he chuckled in my face.

"Ugh!" I said, not really like the smell of his breath. "One word: mouthwash!"

"Joke all you like, kid." Kaze said to me. "It's not gonna change the fact that you nor your brother can be able to stop us as we destroy your friends and take over the Earth!"

With that, I then watched as those guys got in their rides and drove off, leaving Silvian with me and Trust.

* * *

**Axel's view**

After a while of driving and searching, I finally managed to get signal. Two of them to be exact. I used my specs and saw a ledge in front of us, right where the signals were coming from. It was the tacking beacons from the Ice Bike and the Chopper. Though I wasn't getting any sign of Trust or Zoom.

"I got a reading on the Ice Bike and the Chopper's tracking beacon!" I said to the girls.

"Are there any signs of Trustin or Zoom?" Tricha asked me.

"No, I can't get a good read on them." I said to her. "This crystal maze must be blocking the communication signal."

"I think I can see if Zoom is there." Mari said as she gave us her suggestion. "Maybe if I make one of Spinner's jokes, Zoom will respond when he hears it."

"Mari!" Tricha said, just as shocked that she suggested the one thing that caused this mess in the first place.

"Don't even think about it, Mari." I said to her before I used my specs to get a closer view on the ledge and found the scouts' motorcycles. "There's the Ice Bike and the Chopper. Let's go find Trust and Zoom."

With that, we drove over and parked in front of the bikes. When we got out and got a closer look, we saw that both the Ice Bike and the Chopper were damaged. When I looked behind it, I saw some tracks and knew they were from a Vandal vehicle.

"The Vandals were just here." I said as then came up with a plan. "You girls take the Chopper and Ice Bike back to the portal. I'll go after Trust and Zoom." With that, I got back on my Fire Cycle and went on to follow the tracks.

"Are you sure you don't need us, Axel?" Tricha said to me over the comm, speaking with concern. "We still need you."

"We need Trust and Zoom too." I said to her. "Don't worry. All three of us will be back."

**Tricha's view**

"Well, if you're sure." I said as I got off the comm with him and went on to help Mari get our companions' motorcycles onto the Torn Jet and Storm Glider. "Let's get these back home. Surely, Sage can repair them."

"Wow! He took off faster than Jay's last date." Mari said, speaking for how Axel had drove off, something we both had quite a laugh about as it was true. "Okay, I'm so using that for open-mic night!"

* * *

**Axel's view**

After a while of following those tracks, I was starting to see signs I was getting closer to finding out where the Vandals were heading. I was sure I was getting close. At one point of the search, I looked ahead and saw Kalus driving on the same path I was. We both stop with a great amount of distance between us.

"Sorry, Kalus!" I said to him making sure he heard me. "Only room for one of us on this road!"

"Excellent observation, sub-creature." Kalus said before he shot at an arrow but missed me and only got the ledge beneath me.

"Ha! You missed!" I said to him.

"I hit what I aim at." Kalus said, still having that smug.

I then realized what meant when I heard some cracking and knew that the ledge was breaking. Before I could move, the ledge gave way and sent me straight down. Luckily I was able to get onto the crystal walls, but was still heading to ground level fast. I heard Kalus before seeing him leave in the opposite direction. Thinking fast, I then turned used my metalbending to turn my hands into hooks and used them to latch onto the walls to slow me down.

"Come on!" I said to myself as my hooks were scraping through the walls.

Looking forward, I saw I was heading straight for a cliff. I then turned myself around and used my hooks to latch on forward to stop from going over. Luckily, I was able to stop or else I would've been impaled by the crystal spikes below. Even though I could fly, I wouldn't have enough time to get them out and lift myself and my Fire Cycle back up. Still need it in case I would be dealing with Kaze. With that, I pulled myself back on and got ready to get myself back on the road. Hopefully the others weren't having as much trouble as me.

* * *

**Tricha's view**

After managing to get the Ice Bike and the Chopper onto our vehicles, we got them to the portal where we handed them to the others to keep them safe.

"There. Now that their vehicles are safe on Earth," I said after getting the motorcycles back to Earth, "we can rejoin Axel and help him search for Trustin and Zoom."

"Just make sure you all get back here safe." Vert said before Mari and I went on to return to our vehicles.

After getting into the cockpits, we then placed the Torn Jet and Storm Glider into flight mode and then flew off from the portal to rejoin Axel. Though, just as we about to go beyond the pass…

_Boom!_

With the sound of explosions, I looked to see that the Torn Jet was falling. Trying to see what was the matter, I discovered the reason. Somehow the engines were destroyed so it couldn't be able to fly. Looking to my right, I saw that Mari was suffering from the same cause.

"Mayday! Mayday!" I heard her panicked voice from the communicator. "We're going down!"

Luckily, we were able to make safe emergency landing and didn't receive any more sufferable damage.

"Ohhh! What happened?" Mari groaned as we both recovered from the landing.

"I have no idea." I said to her, just as baffled as her for what caused this event. "Though it seems that we will need to drive with Axel in order to return to Earth now. Let us regain our wheels to rejoin my cousin in the search."

"Good idea." Mari said as we then placed our vehicles back into their land mode. Just when we were about to leave…

"I think you should be more concerned about yourselves than for the rat." Said a demonic voice that I knew all too well.

Just after hearing that dreadful voice, Mari and I soon found ourselves being fired upon from behind.

"Mari, move!" I said as we both drove away from the blasts, managing to turn ourselves around to face the worst villain we ever had to face along with the lightning elemental counterpart that Mari was unfortunate to have any blood relations with.

Though I found it odd to find only the two of them as well as Berthona using her elemental form to fly and Kaze being the only one with a vehicle which he carried on the clamp made from his tail spike.

"Not so fun getting your wings clipped, huh, Mari?" Berthona said as Kaze set his bike on the ground, that cold glare no doubt focused on Mari.

"Really have to suck the fun out of everything, don't ya, cuz?" Mari said to her, speaking with a sarcastic tone.

"Kaze, you cur!" I said to the Dargon, infuriated by his awful tricks. "What have you done with Trustin and Zoom?"

"The scouts?" Kaze said as he turned back into his human form, looking down at us with a smug as he flew closely above his vehicle. "They're breathing…" He then let himself fall and land on the seat of his chariot before he then began speaking to us in his normal voice, still having that smug on his face, "for now. They make wonderful bait, just like I thought they would."

"Bait? What do you mean bait?" Mari asked, not understanding what the villain had meant.

I love the dear, but she did have times of late realizations in these kinds of moments. A habit that I've come to know from the years I've spent with her.

"It's all a trick!" I said, already realizing what he had meant. "You kidnapped Trustin and Zoom because you knew we would come looking for them!"

"And leave a portal open for me and my fellow elemental here to go through and clear a path to Earth for the army waiting back on Vandal." Kaze said, not once losing that smug.

"Well, this will never work!" Mari said, sounding very confident as she spoke. "You only got me, Trich, and Axel back here! Everybody else is still back on Earth, ready to kick your scaly butt!"

Kaze laughed before he said "And you think I'm afraid of them? From what I can see, with you two, the rat, and the scouts here, that only leaves two elementals surrounded by humans. You may have best us before, but that was only with the six of you together with the help of your allies. The two of us clearly have the advantage and they will all be terminated once we get there."

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" I said as Mari and I brought our vehicles' weapon systems online, ready to fire upon them.

"Yeah! If you want to get to Earth, you will have to get through us!" Mari said, ready to battle our foes and prevent them from traveling to the portal.

"Brave words from those so foolish." Kaze said to us. "Though I think you might want to hear what our friends have to say about that."

Turning the Torn Jet from hearing the sound of laughing, I was able to look behind and saw Krocomodo, Sever, and Hatch approaching us.

"Oh, no." I said as I knew that Mari and I were now surrounded with those vile creatures parking behind us.

"Now this is going to be quite the show." Kaze said before yelling "Have at them, boys!"

With that, the three mutants drove right toward us, ready to attack us.

"Mari, evasive maneuvers!" I said as the two of us drove to avoid the three, preparing to fight them.

**Kaze's view**

Watching those two getting swarmed by Hatch, Krocomodo, and Sever was quite enjoyable. I would even like to see my allies pull those pathetic weaklings from the wreckage of their cars. Though I then remembered that Berthona and I still had a job to do.

"Well, now that those two are out of the way, let us continue to the portal." I said before we both went off towards the portal.

**Tricha's view**

When I got the chance to look, I saw Kaze and Berthona heading toward the portal.

"Kaze and Berthona are going to get through the portal!" I said to Mari over the comm. "We have to stop them!"

"I'm on it!" Mari said as I was able to see her aim her cannons at the two villains.

While she did that, I went on to keep the three Vandals away from her. After a moment of dodging their advances and managing to push them away with a dual blast from my Torn Jet's cannon, I was able to look behind me as Mari fired upon Kaze. After she had, strangely enough, I saw Berthona fly over on got behind Kaze, standing between him and the blasts with an arm up. Why would she move in to the line of fire? The blasts made contact and Mari cheered out for we both thought that stopped them. But, when the smoke cleared, we were shocked to see them both unharmed. It was like the blasts weren't even there.

"What the…?" Mari said, shocked by her blasts not having much of an effect on the villains. "That should've sent him flying like confetti out of a party popper!"

Just after she said that, we looked behind as we saw Sever and Hatch swiftly approaching us, the teeth of Sever's vehicle ready to cut into our own. Luckily, we managed to the two and Mari was able to blast and blow away Sever.

**Kaze's view**

"Glad to see this thing works." Berthona said to me as she flew beside me, referring to the new bracelet I made for her.

The bracelet is one of my latest inventions. It's powered by her elemental power. Whenever she charges it, it creates an energy shield that protect her and anyone behind it from any kind of attack. With seeing how the Element Gang had managed to gain new weaponry, we would need more ways of countering them.

"Yes, I made perfect timing in bringing the electron shield projector." I said to Berthona, proud of my work. "Now no one can interfere as we claim the portal and be rid of our enemies once and for all!"

**Tricha's view**

After a moment of having been chased by that disgusting bug and avoiding the stabbing from his car's stinger, I was able to turn the tides and blew him away with my cannons. Though it seemed like we weren't doing much to stop them. Even when knocked them away, they kept coming back. I wasn't sure if we were able to keep this up any longer. Right there, I was hoping Axel would find Trustin and Zoom in time.

* * *

**Axel's view**

A while after I got myself back on the road, I was driving while I looked for Trust and Zoom when I heard Mari and Trich over the comm. It sounded like they were in a large battle.

"Hey, back off!" Mari said before I heard the sounds of Trich grunting, metal clanging and clinging, and tires screeching.

"The girls' are in trouble!" I said to myself, worried about them. "I got to find Trust and Zoom quick!"

With that, I then revved up the speed and tried to find Trust and Zoom as quick as I could.

* * *

**Zoom's view**

While we were still prisoners being watched by Silvian, Trustin tried to get himself out of his cuffs or at least get that muzzle off.

"Give it up, Trust." I said to him as I got him to stop. "You've trying that for hours. None of it is coming off."

"Well, I got to do something." He said to me. "I can't just sit around while our friends are in trouble."

"Why even bother?" I said to him, already knowing there was no point in trying to escape especially since Silvian was watching us. "Every time we try, that creep shoots icicles at us. We'll never get out of here."

"Zoom, don't quit!" Trust said to me.

"And why not, Trust? Why can't I quit?" I said to him before pointing everything that went wrong. "We're both being held prisoner by the Vandals, the guys are now in their trap, and they are going to take over the Earth! And it's all my fault! I should listened to you and went back to the others. If I did, none of this would've happened."

"Zoom, we don't know that." He said.

"But if I went back, then neither of us would've been caught, the guys wouldn't come back here, and the Vandals would've gotten to Earth." I said as I then accepted of what everybody thought of me, even my brother. "You were right, Trust. All of you were right."

"Zoom, what are you talking about?" Trust said to me, sounding confused.

"I mean, about me." I said to him. "You were right. I shouldn't have tried to fight the Dark Gang. I wasn't ready for this. I am just a kid."

"What? Zoom, if this is about Spinner's jokes…" Trust said to me.

"No, it's not!" I said to him. "It's not that."

After a minute, Trust finally said something to me.

"Zoom, what's wrong?" he asked me.

"It's just… ever since we were little, I wanted to be a hero like you. When I joined Battle Force 5, I thought I could actually be one." I said to him, telling him everything. "But everybody has only saw me as a kid. Even you. Every time I did something dangerous, you just went on doing the stuff for me. I just thought if I showed you that I could do things myself, you'd stopped treated me like a kid. I know that you were there for me before, but I can now do things for myself."

"Zoom, I don't think you're a kid." He said to me. "I know you can think for yourself."

"Then why have you been babying me this whole time?" I asked him.

"Zoom, I did that because I'm worried about you." He said to me. "I know that you're not a little kid anymore, but it's a dangerous world out there. Especially in the Battle Zones. For what is going on right now, you could get hurt or worse." Even with that muzzle on him, I could tell his voice was breaking, especially with those tears leaving his eyes. "I just…can't…stand the thought…of you getting hurt. I could never…live with myself…if I lost you. You're my little brother and I don't want to ever lose you."

As he started crying, I now got on why he was babying me. He was treating me like a little kid, he was…trying to protect me. He was only looking out for me. He knows how dangerous his job was and was making sure I didn't get hurt because of it. He cared for me and didn't want to lose me. I know because that's was why I wanted to be a hero. Trust was there for me growing up, he always helped me. I wanted to be a hero so I could keep everyone safe, including him.

"Trust…" I said as I grabbed his shoulders and smiled at him, Trust stopped crying as he looked at me. "You'll never lose me. I get it. You've done this longer than I have, but it doesn't mean I can't learn. I want to help in any way I can because I want to protect everyone. Mom, Dad, Master Takeyasu, even you. I know you're trying to protect. I don't want to lose you either, Trust. You were always there to help me. Now I want to be there for you. Do you think you can trust me for that?"

It was only for a moment before Trust said "Zoom…I always did trust you."

With that, I then pulled Trust…no, my bro into a hug. It was great we got our problems solved and we know that, no matter what, we will always have each other's backs.

"I love you, big bro." I said to him.

"I love you too, little bro." Trust said and I had no doubt he was smiling.

It was only for a short time where enjoyed this moment before Silvian spoke up and made us break up the hug.

"Well, isn't this just nice?" that creep said as we glared at him. "Two brothers making up. It is so touching."

"Oh, go choke your own ice, Silvian." Trust said to him. "Unless you have something nice to say, then shut up."

"Nice?" Silvian said to him. "You mean the same nice that got your friends to fall into our trap? The same nice that made them leave the portal open for us to get through? The same nice that made you and your brother my prisoners? Face it, Trust. 'Nice' doesn't win wars."

"My bud Axel told me that a wise emperor once said 'in times of peace, never forget the potential of war. In times of war never forget compassion.' Something you consider of showing."

"Your compassion weakness. It's the same weakness as your friends" Silvian said to us. "In returning to save you, your friends have doomed the Earth." He then lift his foot up and pointed it at Trust. "Don't you see? All your compassion is nothing but a weakness!"

"Trust!" I said as I went over to him after Silvian kicked him away.

"You see?" that creep said to us. "Being nice to everyone who's weaker than you is what makes you weak. If you want to survive in this world, you must never show that. That is why the Vandals are strong and why we will win!"

"You're lying!" I said to Silvian, not believing a single word he said. "There's no way you'll ever win! All you ever do is lie!"

"I don't lie about that, kid." He said to me. "Lying has only been a tool of mine to which I can be able to get what I want. Using honest for it leads to only losing everything you have." He then turned his back to me. "The only place for honesty is for revealing the harsh reality we all live in. In order to live in this world, you must show absolute strength. Showing any weakness will only lead to scavenging around like a filthy rat." I then watched as he put his hand in the air. "It goes the same for every dimension in this entire cosmos. This entire multiverse belongs to the strong and the strong alone!"

"No!" I said to him as I then stood up, making him turn to me. "The multiverse doesn't belong to you! It belongs to everyone! You can't take that away from anyone!"

"Bold words, kid… but pointless." He said before he then roundhoused kicked me to the ground.

"Zoom!" I heard my bro say as I laid there on the ground, all while I heard that creep Silvian walk over to me.

"You think you have any reason to talk to me, kid?" Silvian said before I then felt him take the bow I found off of me. "You're just another sheep in society." When I heard him walking away, I got myself up and tried to look at him. When I did, saw him holding the bow at the riser with both hands. "It's just like you and just like this bow. Just one simple that changes its plans, and the whole thing just breaks!" Just when I thought he was going to snap it, he stopped for some reason and raised a brow. After a quick look at me before he tried to break it again. "It just breaks!" He then tried to break it again and was trying harder to do it. Didn't think I see someone like him having trouble breaking a bow.

After only a few minutes, he then started smacking the bow on the ground. But after a few whacks, it was some of the ground that broke instead of the bow.

"Thing's harder than it looks." He said as he held the bow with one hand. After he looked at the ground for a little bit, he then smiled as he looked back at the bow. "Okay, instead of the body, I'll just use the string." He then grabbed a chunk of crystal off the ground, it kinda looked like a piece of glass. I then watched as he held the crystal at the string and I knew he was gonna try and cut the string. "You and the rest of humanity are like this strong, do enough to ya and you just snap like a twig!"

He then pulled back the string with the crystal and it looked like it was cut right through, but after a minute…the string pushed through the crystal, slicing it in half. We were all surprised by this. Looks like the bow wasn't the only thing that was strong. Silvian growled before he then held the bow at the riser again. This time, he put it closer to the ground before putting his feet on the string. He then pulled on the bow and I saw him tried to make the string snap from bending it out. It seemed like he was gonna do it until…

"You…just snap…like a…" He said, sounding like he was having trouble with it before he got launched like an arrow by the bow. "TWIIIIIIIIIIG!"

After he crashed into the wall behind him, I went over and took the bow back before I went back to Trust.

"Ah! Can't break the darn thing!" Silvian said as he got back up. "What is that thing made out of?"

"Yeah, where did you get that bow?" Trustin asked me, just as surprised as I was about how tough this bow was.

"I found it." I said to him. "Didn't think it was so tough."

"Okay, kid, now you're gonna get it!" Silvian said as he looked at me with an angry glare. "I don't care if Kaze wants me to keep you alive! No one makes a fool out of Silvian Cheff!"

After he said that, I was starting to feel a little scared. But then I looked at that bow and got that feeling again. With that, I then remembered that I couldn't back down to this creep. I went up against mutant animals and killer robots in all kinds of crazy places. And what he did to my big bro…well, that just made me mad. I wasn't a little kid anymore. It was now time to fight…as the hero I am!

**Trustin's view**

"The only guy who's gonna get it is you, dude!" Zoom said as I watched him stand up and go in front of me, looking ready to fight. "No one does that to my big bro!"

While I was surprised by Zoom challenging him like that, Silvian laughed like he was telling a joke.

"Ha-ha-ha! And what are you gonna do?" Silvian said with a smug. "Flick me with that bow string? In case you've forgot, you're still chained to the ground and have nothing to shoot with that thing. Unless you got power like us elementals, then you have no chance in beating me."

"I might not have any powers, but I'm still enough of a fighter to take you down!" Zoom said to him, not once losing that seriousness in his voice.

Just after he said that, this light appeared out of nowhere. When I looked to where it was coming from, I saw the bow was glowing yellow. It kind of reminded me of the first time Mari had her first evolution. Seeing how neither Silvian and Zoom noticed it, I had to guess the light wasn't bright enough for either of them to see.

"Ha! Yeah, right!" Silvian mocked before he then went into his elemental form, purple ice covering him whole for a minute before it busted away to show him as that demonic man-wolf DarkFang. "As if you can stand up to DarkFang! Without your _big bro_ there helping ya, you'll have full-blown frostbite before you can even take a step!" Though I was worried about Zoom, I was still wondering on what the heck was going on with that bow Zoom had. First, the thing shows to be unbreakable, and now it's glowing like a traffic light? What kind of bow was that? "It's the same as all your little friends. Without the Element Gang, you all are nothing! I mean, seriously? How could a couple of humans hope to beat the Vandals and the Dark Gang, especially when one of them is just a stupid kid?" He then started laughing again.

"I'm not some stupid kid, you cold-hearted liar!" Zoom said and bow's glow suddenly got brighter. "Yeah, I do need my bro sometimes, but I know he needs my help too. We might not share blood, but I know that we'll always have each other's backs, no matter what! Same goes for my friends! For my team! For Battle Force 5!"

"Ha! Even if his family just took you in, you sound just like him! Believing such false truths when the real truth is standing right in front of you!" Silvian laughed and that's when I watched as Zoom snapped.

"No, the only truth that is false is your own!" Zoom yelled out with determine tone, the bow glowing brighter by the minute. "You creeps will never rule Earth! As long as we're together, the Element Gang and Battle Force 5 will stop you! No matter what!" After he said that, the bow started glowing in a yellow light so bright, me, my little bro, and even Silvian had to cover our eyes. "Whoa!"

"Aaah!" Silvian yelled as he was surprised by that as the light turned into a flash.

The flash lasted for a little while before it started fading away. When I looked back, I was shocked to see the bow had changed. If this muzzle wasn't on, I swear my jaw would've hit the ground. The bow looked brand new. Now this was getting freaky. First, we find out the bow was unbreakable, then it started glowing, and now it changed from some old worn out, rusted gold and black bow into a brand new, awesome-looking bow? Just what kind of bow did my little bro find?

**Zoom's view**

Okay, I had to say it, this bow was wicked! I just couldn't believe it went from being an old worn-out bow to being this totally awesome bow just like that! It had the same colors as my Chopper. The riser was blue and the limbs were yellow. It looked like it was wearing armor. Looking at both sides, I saw that the weird symbol was on both sides of the riser, glowing yellow. The limb tips had this small blue disks on them, being placed on their sides. The disks had the same symbol that was on the shoulder of my shock suit, glowing yellow like that symbol.

"Whoa!" I was amazed by the bow's sudden transformation.

"What the…?!" Silvian shouted, shocked from seeing what happened to the bow.

After a while of looking at it, I suddenly saw images of this guy holding the bow that I had, but it looked different. It looked like when I first found it I watched as he then pulled back on the string and a glowing arrow formed from it. When he let it go, the arrow was fired. With the light of the arrow filling my eyes, I shook my head a bit as I looked to see Silvian still there. What was that? Brushing it off, I then shook my head to clear it a bit and then got back to the mission: stopping the Vandals and the Dark Gang from getting to Earth.

"Neat trick, kid." Silvian said to me as he then glared. "But changing that bow isn't gonna stop me. Better back down if you know what's good for ya."

"There's no way I'm backing down to a creep like you." I said as I then got ready to use the bow.

"Very well." Silvian said as he got ready to attack. "Then prepare for the worst frostbite of your life!"

As he got ready to send out an ice blast, I then pulled back on the bow's string. As I pulled it back, this strange, glowing, yellow orb appeared in front of my hand. When I got the bow back far enough, the orb turned into glowing yellow arrow. When Silvian fired his blast, I let go the string, letting the arrow fly towards Silvian at high-speed. Surprisingly, the arrow actually cut through his blast and kept on going. I knew it had gotten close as I saw an explosion right in front of him. The explosion was so strong that it blew Silvian away and sent him slamming into the wall. After he did, he then turned back to normal, slid right off, and landed flat on the ground. He was now out cold and there was now a new elemental hole in the wall.

"Whoa! I am so keeping this!" I said before I then used it to break the chain on me.

After I did that, I then used my arrows to get my big bro's cuffs off. Guess this thing could tell what I was think as the arrows didn't give much of an explosion when they hit the cuffs.

"You okay, big bro?" I asked Trust as he got up and got the muzzle off his face.

"Yeah. I'm good." He said as he smiled at me. "And, Zoom, that was amazing! You're a natural at this!"

"Thanks, I learn from the best." I said to him, before we turned to the sound of an engine coming from behind. It wasn't long until we saw Axel pull up to us.

"Trust, Zoom, there you are." He said to us. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Axel, perfect timing." Trust said as we walked up to him. "Thought we were gonna have to take Silvian's ride down the trail."

"Well, I hope you guys are ready to fight." Axel said to us. "Mari and Trich are being attacked by Vandals."

"That's not the only problem we have." Trust said to him.

"Yeah, we need to get back to Earth quick." I said to him. "Kaze and Berthona are going there to attack the others."

"Then let's get rolling!" Axel said before he pressed a button on his bike.

After he did, we watched as a rod formed from the side and turned into a sidecar. Really needs to be said, Sentient tech rocks. Both of us were surprised by this.

"You got a sidecar?" I asked him, wondering when he had a sidecar.

"Yeah, Sage and I managed to add it to my Fire Cycle." He said to us. "Thought I might need it for this kind of situation. There's enough room for two."

"Really, Axel?" Trust said to him with a grim look on his face. "Making us ride in the sidecar?"

"Hey, like with riding on my back, the only person on this team I'm letting riding behind me is Agura." Axel said to him. "This is no time to complain. We need to help out the girls and stop Kaze from getting to Earth."

"Hold up." I said as I got an idea to ensure Silvian couldn't give the Vandals backup. I then used the bow and shot an arrow at Silvian's bike, wrecking it with an explosion. With that, I then turned back and strapped the bow on. "Okay, now let's roll."

"Do I even want to ask about that bow?" Axel said as me and my big bro got into the sidecar, looking a bit shocked.

"We'll tell you later." I said after we got into the sidecar. "Let's just get going."

"Well, you better have your seatbelts on and a good grip on the sidecar, we're gonna have to take a shortcut." Axel said, which got me and Trust confused by what he meant.

**Silvian's view**

Boy, did that arrow pack a punch. Can't believe it could cut through my ice like that. When I woke up, I looked up to see Trustin and the kid getting away with Axel. By the time I got back on my feet, my cousin already drove off. And by drove off, I mean he actually drove off the ledge. When I got over there, I saw they were heading towards the others. I was gonna go after them, but…when I turned around, I saw that my Bone Hunter was wrecked. I couldn't believe they actually busted up my Bone Hunter.

"My Bone Hunter! My precious Bone Hunter!" I said to myself before I then realized that the prisoners I was supposed to watch were now gone and I had no way to catch up to them in time. "Oh, man! Kaze and Kalus are gonna have my hide after this."

* * *

**Axel's view**

After getting off that ledge, I started driving down the crystal wall, Zoom and Trust screaming as they held on to the sidecar. As luck would have it, there was a crystal formation that formed the perfect ramp for us. Checking the trajectory, I saw it was aimed right at the bridge. Using my specs, I was able to see what was going on. The girls were having a lot of trouble with the Vandals. It was just the two of them against Krocomodo, Sever, Hatch, and Kalus. Those mutants were attacking Trich and Mari left and right. While they were busy with that fight, Kaze and Berthona were closing in on the portal.

* * *

**Kaze's view**

As we kept on driving to the portal, I decided to use my radio to see how Captain Kalus and the others are doing.

"Captain Kalus, I assume you and the other are enjoying yourselves?" I said with a smile on my face.

"It has been much enjoyable." My captain said to me over the radio. "These two are dropping like Vandalian rock flies. Are you nearing the portal?"

"The portal is right in our sights." I said to him. "As soon as we enter it, the Earth will be defenseless and will be ours for the taking!"

* * *

**Axel's view**

"Kaze and Berthona are almost at the portal!" Zoom said with worry. "What are we gonna do?"

Seeing all this, I was able to come up with a plan, one where I would need Zoom and his new bow.

"Zoom, when I give the word, start shooting arrows!" I said to him.

"What? Why?" He asked me in confusion.

"Just get ready!" I said to him.

"Okay!" He said as he got ready to shoot.

With this, we then jumped the ramp and, thanks to the velocity, we were able to reach Kaze and Berthona. We actually managed to get right in front of them.

"Zoom, now!" I said after I managed to park in the path, facing the two villains.

With that, Zoom got the idea and sent two arrows at Berthona and Kaze. Berthona moved to the front and somehow managed to put up an energy field in front of her. Though the field wasn't enough. After the arrows landed, they created a powerful explosion that sent the two flying. I could hear them screaming as they going through the air. Though it was amazing to see, the explosion caused a shockwave that destabilized the bridge a bit. Any more shockwaves like that and the bridge might come down.

"Whoo-hoo! Yes!" Zoom cheered out.

"Way to go, little bro!" Trust said to him.

"It was good effort and managed to keep Kaze and Berthona from getting to Earth, but you'll need to be careful with arrows." I said to Zoom, explain the situation. "This pass is our only way back and I don't think it can take the impact."

"Go easy on the arrows, got it." Zoom said to me.

"Now let's go help Mari and Tricha." I said as I then drove off towards the girls.

* * *

**Tricha's view**

Okay, now I was praying that Axel would return quickly. I wasn't sure if we could fight anymore. Seemed like this would be our final curtain call.

"Well, Mari, as much as it pains me to say this," I said to my friend as the Vandals surrounded us with Kalus and Krocomodo on our left and Sever and Hatch on our right, "I'm afraid this is the end."

"Looks like I won't be keeping my promise to Stanfy." Mari said as she had lost hope.

Just when Kalus was about to attack us, the sound of screaming came to our ears and we both looked around to find where the screams were coming from. When we looked to the sky, we saw that it was…Kaze and Berthona falling towards us? We barely had time to process this before two went crashing into the Vandals, Kaze crashing into Kalus and Krocomodo and Berthona crashing into Hatch and Sever. Whatever sent them toward us was strong enough for them to push Kalus and Sever into the Vandals beside them. With the sound of an approaching vehicle, we looked to see…Axel driving over to us with Trustin and Zoom in tow.

"Hey, Trich! Mari!" Trustin said to us after Axel parked partly ahead of us.

"Trustin! Zoom!" Mari said as we then drove over to them, that joyful tone of hers returning. "Boy, are we glad to see you."

"You girls okay?" Zoom asked us.

"Yes, we're fine. Thanks to you." I said to him, speaking our gratitude to them for saving us. "We're just glad that you two are okay."

"Now that we got everybody, let's head back to Earth and close this place down." Axel said to us.

"Indeed." I said to him in confirmation.

"Yeah, let's go!" Mari excitedly said before we all then drove our vehicles towards the portal.

**Kaze's view**

After recovering from that fall, I was able to get myself up to see Berthona recovering as well. Hearing an engine revving, I looked forward and saw the rat, the scouts, and the other two Element Gang elementals driving away. Didn't have much time to glare at them when I heard growling behind me, one I knew too well. I slowly turned around to see Captain Kalus glaring down at me. He was no doubt angry with me for not just allowing the rat and his friends escape, but allowing them to escape with our prisoners. To be honest, I was scared of him. After he managed to best me at my full power during the countless times I challenged him, he became the only being alive who could strike fear into me. It was hard to think that a being like himself would exist with the strength to outmatch a great Dargon such as myself.

"Captain Kalus!" I said as I tried save myself from his fury. "Let me explain. I know this looks bad, but…" With the sound of his roar, I silenced myself.

"I will not take another excuse for you failure!" He said to me with that threatening tone of his. "If you wish to redeem yourself, then ensure that the sub-creatures do not escape!"

"Yes, Captain Kalus." I said as I then went on to get my Primal Bounty ready to chase the rat.

"Vandals! After them before they reach the portal!" He said as we all then mobilized and went after the rat and his friends.

* * *

**Axel's view**

After managing to regroup, we all drove straight to the portal. Seemed like we were home free until…we looked behind and saw the Vandals catching up to us with Kalus taking the lead.

"Oh, man! The Vandals are right on our tail!" Trust said with worry.

"I got them!" Zoom said as he got ready to shoot with the bow.

"Zoom, no!" I said as I stopped him, knowing the consequences of using that bow. "Those long-range attacks will cause the bridge to collapse."

"I got this!" Trust said as he got up in the sidecar before he jumped off, heading towards the Vandals.

"Trust, wait!" Zoom said as he tried to stop him, but it was too late.

**Trustin's view**

After getting out of that sidecar, I managed to land on Kalus' chariot and was ready to throw down with him.

"Care to carpool, Kalus?" I said to that ugly fur face as he roared at me.

When he looked behind, I looked there to see the other Vandals along with Kaze and Berthona trying to get close.

"Keep your distance, fools! I shall deal with him myself!" Kalus said, making them to stay at the distance they were at.

With that, me and Kalus then started out fight. If I could make him crash, it might start a pile up with his goons. It was harder than it looked. At one part of this, when Kalus brought out one of those ball things, I quickly got one of his spears and managed to block that attack. When I saw we were getting close to the edge, I then got an idea. If I couldn't stop them here, then I would send them off the cliff.

"Guys, get behind Kaze and the Vandals! I'm gonna stop these guys in their tracks!" I said as I used my comm and I watched as they all pulled back.

"Fool! With your friends out of the way, there is nothing to stop us from conquering your world!" Kalus said to me with a smug.

"Man, you talk too much!" I said to him before I punched him, making him let go of his weapon. After managing to tie one end of it to the spear while also dodging his attacks. I kicked him back and got ready to put my plan into action. "Hey, Kalus!" He then glared at me. "Let's see if you land on your feet!" With that, I then jumped off, used the other end of the weapon to hook up his chariot to the spear, and then slammed the spear into the ground. "So long!"

Once the line reached its limit and with a firm hold on the spear, I watched as Kalus was swung around and sent towards his goons, causing them to crash around and fall off the edge. Pretty sure Berthona got knocked out and Kaze couldn't stop himself from falling. Just when I thought my plan worked, I got into a snag when Kalus came back around. I was gonna cut him loose and let him fall with the other Vandals, but the spear lost its grip and I ended up dragged with him. I tried to cut the line, but when I did, it was already too late. Thinking fast, I managed to jab the spear into the nearby wall. After a while of skidding, I finally stopped. Though I was so far down that not even a jump would be enough to get me back up.

"Now that's what I call a crash course." I said, making a joke with how I made the Vandals crash.

Though it didn't really helped me there. I was now stuck hanging from a wall with the ground hundreds of feet below me.

* * *

**Axel's view**

After watching Trust get dragged off the edge, we went over to make sure he was okay. Luckily, he was able to use the spear to stop himself from falling.

"Trustin, are you okay?" I said to him, speaking loud enough for him to hear me.

"I'm fine." He said to me, his voice echoing from the distance. "Just dangling for my life here."

"Hang on, big bro!" Zoom said to him.

"Like he's got a choice." Mari said before the ground started to shake.

Looking around, I saw that the bridge was starting to collapse. Having all those cars driving on it along with addition of that arrow's shockwave must've made it too unstable for it to sustain itself.

"Guys, forget about me!" Trustin said to us. "You gotta make it through the portal! The whole place is coming down! Go!"

"He does have a point." Tricha said to us. "If we stay here any longer, we could be trapped."

"No way! I'm not leaving my brother here!" Zoom said, not willing to leave Trustin behind. "There's gotta be a way to save him and get all of us out of here."

"I'm afraid not, Zoom." I said, seeing there was only one option for us. "At our distance, we won't be able to save him. That spear will break before we can even get close to him. And even if we did, we'll lose our vehicles. Even if we take the power cells from them, the Vandals will just use their tech against us."

"Guys, if we're gonna do something, we better do it fast!" Mari said to us. "So do we get Trust or leave him hanging?"

"Hanging…" I said as I then got an idea. "That's it! Trich, Mari, extend your winch cables! I got an idea! No man left behind!"

With that, we all then got to work. By connecting our vehicles' cables to each other, we could be able to form a chain long enough to get down to Trust and get him out of there.

"Okay." I said after we were done. "Now we got ourselves a chain."

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Tricha asked me, sounding unsure of the plan.

"Of course." I said as I explained how the plan will work. "The Fire Cycle is a smaller build that the Torn Jet and the Storm Glider, so we won't have much trouble lowering me down to get Trust."

"I'm going too." Zoom said to us. "I got Trust into this mess, now I'm gonna get him out of it."

"Okay. Then let's do this!" I said as we then put our plan into action.

After getting to our vehicles with Zoom riding with me in the sidecar. Slowly moving towards the edge, I was able to get off the bridge. It was a bit of a scare going off the edge. Lucky the cables worked. The plan was simple: by linking our cables together, Tricha and Mari can keep us from falling while me and Zoom lower ourselves to save Trust. Once we got low enough, I would use my wings to create some momentum and swing us over like a pendulum. Then we can get Trust, pull ourselves back up and drive the heck out of there. With that, I then released some of my cable and was able to get down to Trust. I then used my wings to give us some momentum.

"Hey, Trust!" I said to the scout as we kept swinging, getting closer to him with each swing. "Need a lift?"

"What I need is a jetpack." Trust said to us as he hanged onto that spear.

"Trust, grab my hand!" Zoom said, putting out his hand.

Trust then started getting his own momentum, getting ready to swing off the spear. But, before he could swing off, the spear snapped and he began to fall.

"No!" Zoom said before he jumped out of the sidecar towards Trust. "I'm coming, big bro!"

"Zoom!" I said as I thought quickly.

Using my metalbending, I then stretched my hand out to try and grab Zoom. While I did that, I watched as Zoom and Trust tried to grab onto each other. It was cutting close and I wasn't sure if they were gonna be able to do it. But, after a moment…they managed to so, around the same time I managed to grab onto Zoom's ankle and saving both of them from falling.

"We got Trust! Girls, full reverse!" I said to Trich and Mari through the comm.

After they managed to pull us back up, we then back up a bit as part of the bridge ahead of us gave way, a sign that we were running out of time before the bridge collapsed.

"Trust, get into the Torn Jet! Zoom, get to Mari's Storm Glider! Hurry, I don't have much time!" I said to the brothers and they did as I asked. With the, I then began speaking to the girls. "Trich, Mari, focus! We only got one shot at this. When I give the word, go full throttle. Ready?" I said as we all got ready to make a leap of faith with our vehicles. "Floor it!"

With that, we all hit the gas and moved as fast as we could to the portal. The bridge was almost ready to collapse as we closed in on the portal. It was getting close…but we managed to make it and got through the portal before it completely collapsed.

* * *

**Kaze's view**

After recovering from that fall, I looked around to seeing everyone else recovering too. Can't believe we fell for that. I tried to get back up there, but Sever's car landed on me. After getting that overgrown shark off me along with getting back on my feet, I thought it couldn't get any worse than being beat by that rat again. I was corrected after seeing a piece of crystal land in front of me. Looking upwards, I saw large chunks of crystal heading towards us. Luckily, it was only parts of the vehicles that got crushed. Once we got back to Vandal, I was gonna throttle Silvian for his incompetence.

* * *

**[Earth]**

**Axel's view**

"Zoom, lock her up." I proudly said after we got through the portal.

"All over that!" Zoom said as he then closed the portal.

With that done, the rest of Battle Force 5 moved in to express their relief for their scout's safe return.

"Welcome back, kid." Spinner said to Zoom.

"Yeah, thanks…_pops_." Zoom said to him.

"Nice." Trust said as he and his brother shared a high-five.

"Hey, guys! I got a killer joke!" Mari said as we all looked to her. "How many Vandals does it take fall off a mountain?" We all waited a moment for her to give the answer. "All of them!"

We all laughed at that. That was a pretty good joke.

"Hey, Mari, do you think I could use that for open-mic night?" Spinner asked her.

"Knock yourself out. I got plenty of jokes to spare." Mari said to her.

"Okay, guys. Now let's rev up and roll on home." I said as we all then got back to our vehicles and drove back to base. "Now, Zoom, mind telling me where you found that bow?"

* * *

After getting back to base, Zoom finished telling me how he got that bow. I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. A weapon like that just lying around in a Battle Zone? I was speechless.

"So let me get this straight," I said to Zoom as we walked up to Sage, still couldn't believe what he was saying, "you found that bow in the Battle Zone and, somehow, it managed to transform when you stood up against Silvian?"

"Yeah, that's about it." Zoom said to me as he held the bow. "Still have no idea how it got there."

It was only when we heard Sage gasp that we look to her as she came over to us, looking pretty surprised.

"How did you acquire this?" Sage asked us as she took the bow and examined it.

"I found it in the Battle Zone we just cleared." Zoom answered her.

"Wait, Sage, do you know what that bow is?" I asked her as I realized it.

"Indeed." She answered me. "This is no ordinary bow. This is the Bow of Sagittarius."

"Bow of Sagittarius?" I asked, now getting interested about this bow even more. "Seems like fitting name. Sagittarius was known as an archer. Plus, it haves the symbol of Sagittarius on the riser."

"What's so special about this bow?" Basar asked, speaking to Sage.

"The Bow of Sagittarius is one of the Sacred Cosmic Relics." Sage answered him.

"What's a Sacred Cosmic Relic?" Zoom asked her.

"The Sacred Cosmic Relics are ancient artifacts of that hold untold power." Sage said as she explained. "They were created along with the multiverse."

"Wait, Sage, are you saying that Sentients made these relics?" I asked her as we were all shocked by this.

"Not on purpose." Sage answered showing us a holo-screen which showed a pitch black area before a light expands to reveal an image of space, to what I had to believe was the birth the multiverse. "When my people created the multiverse, an unknown cosmic force that formed within it caused these relics to form."

"Whoa! Cool!" Zoom said as I looked to see him smiling. "So I found a wicked weapon?"

"I would say so." I said to him.

"Yes, and we are fortunate that it has chosen you as its wielder." Sage said to Zoom. "If a Sacred Cosmic Relic were to ever fall into the wrong hands, the multiverse would've been at risk."

"What you mean 'chosen'?" Trustin asked her.

"After the relics came into existence, they scattered themselves across the multiverse and were found by beings within each dimension." Sage said as she then brought up the holo-screen, this time showing the bow Zoom found falling from the sky and landing in a desert area. Someone or something comes around and finds the bow. From picking it up, the bow gives off a bright flash that consumes the whole screen in a white light. "Many had tried to use them, but only a few could wield their power." When the light fades, it reveals five different beings in fighting stance with a different weapon with a cosmic background behind them. "It was soon discovered that the ones who could wield these powers were chosen by the relics themselves. The ones they chose soon became the great protectors of the multiverse, defending it from all evils that threaten it. They were known as the Zodiac Guardians."

"The Zodiac Guardians?" My team said in surprise as they looked at each other.

"I've never even heard of such warriors." I said before trying to see if Sage could tell us more about them. "Is there anything else you can tell us about these Zodiac Guardians, Sage?"

"I'm afraid not, Axel." Sage answered. "As you all know, I had lost much of my memory from my travels through the Stormshocks. I have managed to recover some of my memory, but only parts of them." She then held up the bow. "Seeing the Bow of Sagittarius caused the memory of what I know of it to resurface."

"So what makes you think that the bow chose my little bro?" Trust asked her.

"When one of the relics selects its wielder, it changes form in order to indicate who is worthy of its power." Sage answered him.

"Actually that would explain it." I said before I spoke to Zoom, seeing how that makes sense. "Zoom, you stood up to Silvian, one of the most dangerous criminals anyone's ever known, just to protect Trust. The bow must have reacted to your determination to fight. It changed its form to match you, a sign it has given you its power."

"Seriously? Awesome!" Zoom said in excitement. "I got to take down a member of the Dark Gang and got my own cool weapon!"

"Is there anything else about this bow we should know about?" I asked Sage, just wondering what kind of power the bow had.

"For what power it possesses? No." She answered me. "But I can tell you of the Guardian who wield it." The holo-screen then changed to show us a man wearing golden clothing and armor that I couldn't recognize. The ensemble looked like a combination between Sumerian attire and a shock suit. "Zodiac Sagittarius, the youngest of the Guardians. With his great determination and sharp focus, his time using the bow earned him the title 'Sagittarius the Star Archer'."

"Hey, he kinda looks like you, Zoom." Trustin said as we all took a closer look at the archer showed on the holo-screen.

"Hey, he's right." Vert said, agreeing with him. "He does kinda look like Zoom."

"Okay, I'm confused." Jay said as I was trying to figure that out as well. "Why does that archer look like Zoom?"

"Well, it might be possible that Zoom was once Zodiac Sagittarius in a past life." I said as I spoke out my theory to everyone. "Sagittarius was the youngest of the Zodiac Guardians, much like how Zoom is the youngest member in Battle Force 5." That's where I was going to get the answer for the first question about the bow. I then spoke to Sage. "So what happened to Sagittarius and how did his bow get into a Battle Zone?"

"Sadly, Sagittarius, along with the rest of the Zodiac Guardians, sacrificed themselves in one battle against a powerful enemy, the relics were lost." Sage said, having despair in her voice before she speaks out in relief. "We are fortunate that the Bow of Sagittarius had made its return along with finding its great champion."

"Way to go, little bro." Trust said, giving Zoom a pat on the back.

"Thanks, big bro." Zoom said as he smiled at Trust. "I can't wait to use that bow in the next Battle Zone."

"I'm afraid you're gonna have to wait for that." I said to him. "Until we figure out how this bow works and what powers it haves, the bow will have stay here at the base for the time being." Zoom looked a little disappointed from hearing that. "Don't worry. You'll get to use it again. That's why we're keeping it here in the base. If we come across an enemy or a situation that might be overwhelming, then we will need you to wield the bow and helps us fight." I then went over and put a hand on Zoom's shoulder, smiling proudly at him. "You've truly proven yourself as a hero, just like Trust."

With that, Zoom smiled proudly at me, no doubt feeling pride from hearing me say that.

* * *

After Sage managed to create a room for us to keep the bow (along with any other Sacred Cosmic Relics we find) and placing said weapon inside it, we all then went to Zeke's diner for the open-mic night. Mari was the first to go up and she brought in a lot of laughs with comedy act and her jokes, especially with that little Jay joke there. She did one of her old routines: juggling three pies while balancing on a ball. Zoom went up next and, to our surprise, he was a riot. I couldn't believe he had all those good jokes with him this whole time.

"Thanks for all the laughs everybody." Zoom said after he took a bow.

"Geez, that Zoom's a tough act to follow. Glad I'm not you." Sherm said as he nudged Spinner, who was now looking a bit worried. Sherm must have saw it too as I watched him try to be supportive. "Oh, you're gonna do great too." He tried to whisper, but I managed to hear him. "Um…can you juggle?"

"And now, Spinner Cortez!" Zeke said as Zoom walked off the stage and went over to us. "Let's just hope he's as funny as he looks."

That little joke got a laugh from the crowd. From there, I then decided to give Spinner a little advice before he went up.

"Just take a deep breath and smile." I said to him as he then started walking up to the stage. "Knock them dead."

When he met up with Zoom, I was able to hear Zoom say "Good luck, kid."

With that, we all watched as Spinner got up stage and seemed to be taking my advice. Up until he spoke.

"Thanks, Spinner." Spinner said before he adjusted the mic, sounding nervous with that smile. "I'm Zeke—duh! I mean, uh… he's, I'm…" Though I knew I was a little mean, but I just couldn't help but try to hold in a chuckle from the way he messed up that introduction. I could see Basar and the others doing the same. "Hey, uh…how many Earth-invading aliens to fall off a cliff in a crystal Battle Zone?" a pause as he got ready to deliver the punchline, a cough coming from the audience. "All of them." There weren't much laughs…well, except for one.

We looked to see Mari laughing up a storm. When Vert and the others looked at me, I knew there was only one answer for this.

"What? That's just how Mari is." I said to them. "Even when she heard the joke once, she still finds it funny."

When we saw the crowd look to Spinner, we then focused on the Cortez twin as he cleared his throat in order to speak.

"Guess you had to be there." He said, keeping that smile.

After that, we all watched as Spinner stepped down to join us as someone else stepped on stage to do his own act. With that, I then went on to talk to Zoom. When he bowed, I managed to see something on his right hand.

"Hey, Zoom?" I said to him as I got his attention. "Why do you have that mark on your hand?"

"What?" Zoom said as he then looked to his hands before he showed the one with the mark. "Oh, you mean my birthmark? I always had it."

"Yeah, that mark has always been there." Trust said as he explained. "When we found him, he was covered in dirt. We thought that mark on his hand was some the dirt, but when it didn't come off, we found out it was a birthmark. Why are you asking about it?"

"Well, just so you know, that birthmark's shape is the symbol of Sagittarius." I said, shocking the brothers.

"Whoa! Seriously?" Zoom said as he looked at his birthmark, amazed by this.

"There's no doubt about it." I said to him. "You're the reincarnation of Sagittarius the Star Archer."

"Looks like I was born to be hero just like you, big bro." Zoom said to Trust as he smiled at him.

"Hey, reincarnation or not, you're always gonna be a hero to me." Trust said to him, returning the smile. "I couldn't ask for a better little brother."

* * *

**Author's Note:** **Hey, guys. Sorry it took me so long, I had a lot of stuff to do before getting this done. I'm just glad to have made it. And I like to give a special thanks to FoxyKhai0209 for her idea of the Bow of Sagittarius, Sagittarius the Star Archer, and the Zodiac Guardians which had helped put this chapter together. Give her a hand of applause everybody. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Don't worry, Zoom will use the Bow Sagittarius again in time, you'll have to wait and see. More surprises for the Element Gang and BF5 in the next chapter!**


End file.
